Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Aren’t the Answer

Large-scale nuclear reactor construction is all but dead and has been for a long time. To expensive and too long to build are the advertised primary reasons but too risky is another consideration along with how to deal with the radioactive waste. There has been a lot of companies suggesting that small modular nuclear reactors (SMNRs) are the future.

Well, a new report from the IEEFA just concluded that the expected advantages seem to be fiction. You can download the report as a PDF from here if you are interested in the details. They basically translate to SMNRs have the same problems are big nukes.

In the report, it also shows that with the costs of renewables dropping, they are no longer needed. While the cost of solar continues to drop the real game-changer is that battery storage advancements eliminates the intermittent nature of renewables from concerns. And, nukes are just the opposite of renewables in that they cannot be adjusted up and down in output.

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