Current Status, Technical Feasibility and Economics of Small Nuclear Reactors

Description

Nuclear Development, June 2011, 177 p. Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)Nuclear power plants with reactors of 1 000-1 600 MWe being most commonly commercialisedtoday.However, there is currently a growing trend in the development and commercialisation of smalland medium-sized reactors (SMRs), i.e. reactors with effective electric power less than 700 MWe.The main arguments in favour of SMRs are that they could be suitable for areas with small electricalgrids and for remote locations, and that due to the smaller upfront capital investment for a single SMRunit the financial risks associated with their deployment would be significantly smaller than for alarge reactor. This offers flexibility for incremental capacity increases which could potentiallyincrease the attractiveness of nuclear power to investors.This report is a summary of the development status and deployment potential of SMRs. It bringstogether the information provided in a variety of recent publications in this field, and presents thecharacterisation of SMRs currently available for deployment and those that are expected to becomeavailable in the next 10-15 years. Additionally, it highlights the safety features and licensing issuesregarding such reactors.Particular attention is given to the economics of SMRs, and the various factors affecting theircompetitiveness are analysed and discussed. Vendors‟ data on the economics of different designs arecompared with independent quantitative estimates of the electricity generating costs, and thedeployment potential of such reactors in a number of markets and geographic locations is assessed.