Nuclear Energy Assembly focuses on advanced nuclear technologies, innovative reactor designs

Emerging nuclear technologies like small modular reactors (SMR) and advanced nuclear reaction concepts highlighted the Nuclear Energy Institute’s 65th annual Nuclear Energy Assembly (NEA) that was held in Atlanta, Georgia, this week.

The conference featured three panels that focused on novel uses for advanced nuclear technologies, new “beyond electricity capabilities” including process heat and deep decarbonization, and innovation reactor designs that are edging toward regulatory approval.

The Washington-based think tank Third Way outlined more than 40 companies and research institutions that are currently working on SMR and advanced nuclear reactor concepts. Dominion Energy announced that it’s investing in GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 SMR design on the first day of the conference.

“The BWRX-300 represents a significant improvement in the economics of new nuclear, an imperative for the long-term viability of the industry,” GE Hitachi Executive Vice President of Nuclear Plant Projects Jon Ball said.

The economic viability of advanced reactor designs that feature fewer components and more simplistic systems that can be built cheaper and more quickly was also a topic of conversation. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently released a report on the feasibility of various designs. Tina Taylor, the senior director of research and development and chief nuclear officer at EPRI, said, “The good news is that a lot of these technologies are headed to the lower end of the cost spectrum,”

Kathryn McCarthy, the vice president for research and development at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), said producing hydrogen to decarbonize the transportation sector could be a potential revenue source for SMRs in Canada. That includes long-distance trucks and trains and the Toronto light rail system, she said.

TerraPower President Chris Levesque noted that the company’s Traveling Wave Reactor design is advance from the research to the test phase with approvals from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration within site. The company’s also working on a molten chloride fast reactor concept with domestic and international partners.

“When TerraPower was formed twelve years ago, we were not a nuclear reactor developer,” Levesque said. “What we were looking to do was to solve energy poverty for one billion people and to decarbonize the world. Solving these problems will increase the world’s industrial base tenfold.”