Can the Next Generation of Reactors Spur a Nuclear Renaissance?

The argument for nuclear energy, especially in the context of climate change, remains robust in many ways:  nuclear fuel is among the most energy-dense fuels known to humanity.  One kilogram of coal can keep a 100-watt light bulb lit for four days, while the same amount of uranium nuclear fuel can keep it lit for 140 years without carbon dioxide emissions.

Because of its limited pollution and the gobs of electricity it produces, nuclear energy is also the safest power source on a per-kilowatt basis.

... National laboratories like Argonne and Oak Ridge flirted with all sorts of reactor designs, but the massive research and development effort from the Navy led to the dominance of light water reactors.

Now fears have faded and a new generation of nuclear engineers and scientists is leading the charge, spurred by the need for low-carbon energy.  And while reactor construction was on hold, enabling technologies like better materials and computer simulation tools have opened the door to new third-generation designs that improve safety and cut costs.

"The majority of Gen 3+ machines are still light water reactors," said Mark Peters, associate laboratory director for energy and global security at Argonne National Laboratory.  "They have more advanced designs in terms of safety systems as such."

In particular, third-generation designs use passive systems to improve safety.  The nuclear disasters at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl in Ukraine and Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant all suffered when circulation pumps shut off and cooling water boiled off, allowing fuel and waste to overheat and melt down.

Third-generation reactors are engineered to avoid such a scenario.

One such design is the AP1000 from Westinghouse Electric Co. (the "AP" stands for advanced passive).  In 2012 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved construction of the design, leading to the first new reactors in the United States since 1979.

Two AP1000 reactors are under construction at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga., supported in part by $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees with a projected total cost of $14 billion.  They are expected to go online in 2018 and 2019 and will be operated by Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Co.

"The AP1000 was selected because it builds on proven nuclear technology, while also incorporating improvements in that technology," John O'Brien, senior communications specialist at Georgia Power, a utility owned by Southern, said in an email. "Instead of relying on active components such as diesel generators and pumps, the AP1000 relies on the natural forces of gravity, natural circulation and compressed gases to keep the core containment from overheating."

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