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Can small modular reactors help mitigate climate change? Makhijan, Arjun; Ramana, M. V., 1966-

Abstract

In recent years, there has been much discussion of small modular reactors. Companies developing such designs have received large amounts of government funding. Lower power outputs of these reactors will likely result in higher costs in comparison to large nuclear reactors, and even if they achieve parity, will fail economically, since large reactors are themselves struggling to compete with renewable sources of electricity. Mass manufacture is unlikely to reduce costs adequately and might itself become a source of problems, including the possibility of recalls. The history of problems with non-traditional nuclear reactor designs indicates that they will likely take longer to commercialize than light-water small modular reactor designs. The problems related to radioactive waste and nuclear weapon proliferation will persist, though in different technical configurations depending on reactor design. Small modular reactors fail the tests of time and cost, which are of the essence in meeting the challenge of climate change. Even the official schedules indicate that their contributions will be neglible by 2030 and remain small by 2035, when the grid needs to be nearly completely decarbonized.

Item Metadata

Title
Can small modular reactors help mitigate climate change?
Creator
Makhijan, Arjun; Ramana, M. V., 1966-
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Date Issued
2021-07-21
Description
In recent years, there has been much discussion of small modular reactors. Companies developing such designs have received large amounts of government funding. Lower power outputs of these reactors will likely result in higher costs in comparison to large nuclear reactors, and even if they achieve parity, will fail economically, since large reactors are themselves struggling to compete with renewable sources of electricity. Mass manufacture is unlikely to reduce costs adequately and might itself become a source of problems, including the possibility of recalls. The history of problems with non-traditional nuclear reactor designs indicates that they will likely take longer to commercialize than light-water small modular reactor designs. The problems related to radioactive waste and nuclear weapon proliferation will persist, though in different technical configurations depending on reactor design. Small modular reactors fail the tests of time and cost, which are of the essence in meeting the challenge of climate change. Even the official schedules indicate that their contributions will be neglible by 2030 and remain small by 2035, when the grid needs to be nearly completely decarbonized.
Subject
Climate change; Economies of scale; High-temperature gas-cooled reactor; Learning curve; Light water reactor; Mass manufacturing; Molten salt; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; NuScale; Small modular reactors; Sodium-cooled; Steam generator; Supply chain; Waste
Genre
Article; Postprint
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2025-05-07
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0448787
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/91022
Affiliation
Arts, Faculty of; Non UBC; Public Policy and Global Affairs, School of
Citation
Makhijani, A., & Ramana, M. V. (2021). Can small modular reactors help mitigate climate change? Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 77(4), 207-214.
Publisher DOI
10.1080/00963402.2021.1941600
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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DSpace

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International