WEMO24-Compiled Report-Interactive compressed (002) 4154-7882-8116 v.1 - Flipbook - Page 116
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SMR Use Cases
Real World Examples
Industrialization
SMRs are sized from 10-300 MW using either existing lightwater reactor technology. AMRs (Advanced Modular Reactors)
use processes developed in large USA federal laboratories or
in institutes as the French CEA. There were not built at a large
scale, thus the industrialization will be more complex. However,
they can offer advantages as simultaneous heat and power
production, no need for cooling water, burning nuclear waste..
As a result, SMRs have a variety of use cases that make them
the Key to achieving net zero targets:
•
Dow Chemical: 4 advance reactors to provide process heat
and steam to its Seadrift facility
•
Diamondback Energy: Nuclear for drilling operations in the
Permian Basin
•
Synthos Green Energy: Planning to repower its industrial
base in Poland
As shown in the U.S. DOE Liftoff report all of the many competing
clean technology, necessary to reach net zero, haven’t been
industrialized to the point of cost competitiveness. However,
in nuclear there is a lot of operation experience, and lessons
learned, so the roadmap to cost competitiveness is well defined.
The DOE anticipates that a minimum order of 10 units will be
necessary for the industrialization of a particular platform.
•
Ontario Power Generation: Building 4 SMRs for on-grid
application
On-Grid - to serve more rural areas, repower existing fossil
plants, new utility entrants to nuclear, site closer to demand
•
Green Energy Partners: A nuclear-powered data center
next to Surry Nuclear Station
Off-Grid – micro-grids, behind the meter supply,
Cogeneration, powering industrial and or data center
facilities, remote communities, mining, oil/gas extraction
•
Norway: SMRs to power data centers and as well as
powering an isolated community
•
•
District Heating – sited close to the demand and replace
fossil, biomass, or trash to energy facilities
Challenges ahead
•
Process Heat – as well as electricity for industrial applications
•
Shipping
•
Desalination
•
Hydrogen and SynFuel production
SMRs aren’t really new, and that fact is often lost in the
discussions re the viability of SMRs. Hundreds of small light
water reactors have been built and in service today for naval
reactors in several nations. Whereas advanced reactors have
been proven in national labs with decades of experience. So,
the challenge is not technology, but industrialization of the
technology. For example, the industrialization of the French
SMR Nuward has proven complex and has led to a delay in the
design of this platform.
The issue is not competency - it is simply a critical mass of back
orders to facilitate investment to industrialize and drive down
costs. Much like the model for new airliners – the OEM’s design a
platform, but don’t build until they have a confirmed order book.
GE Hitachi, with it’s 4 confirmed OPG orders, and significant
potential backlog will likely lead this new market. With GE’s
success the challenge will not be how to get the industry off
the ground, but how to meet the demand.
Not First of a Kind
WEMO 2024
•
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SMRs are part
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