Nuclear Reactors 308 - U.K. Considers Site In Wales For Production Of Small Modular Reactors
I have blogged before about the quest to develop small modular reactors (SMR) to replace the current generation of gigawatt plus nuclear power reactors. By definition, these SMR reactors will generate less than three hundred megawatts. Another aspect of SMR projects is the intention to build these reactors in modules in factories. The argument being that their costs will be lower and their quality higher because they will be coming off a factory production line. Once basic site preparation has been carried out, the modules can be trucked to the location and quickly assembled. It is hoped that this approach can lower capital investment requirements, shorten construction time and open up a wider range of possible locations. The existence of small reliable and safe nuclear reactors in naval vessels such as submarines has helped to ignite interest in SMRs for domestic power generation.
The U.K. has plans to spent over three hundred and seventy six million dollars in the next five years in nuclear research and development. Part of that money will be spent on a competition to select the best SMR design for U.K. needs. This competition will be launched at the start of 2016 and, it is hoped, will result in the construction of the first U.K. SMR in the 2020s.
The Magnox nuclear power plant was located near the village of Trawsfynydd in Wales but it has been decommissioned. A study by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in 2014 identified Trawsfynydd as a potential site for the production of SMRs. The Snowdonia Enterprise Zone Advisory Board has been actively exploring the potential of Trawsfynydd for the siting of a SMR production facility.
Dr John Idris Jones, chairman of the SEZAB, says that "As chair of the Advisory Board, and supported by officials from Welsh Government and Gwynedd County Council, I continue to engage with key SMR stakeholders to explore this opportunity and to promote Trawsfynydd as an ideal location to host the first SMR of its kind in the UK. We have a unique location with an established nuclear site at Trawsfynydd with potential for future SMR deployment and associated R&D. It is the ultimate environment for businesses involved in new, sustainable and secure low carbon energy generation. The workforce has an excellent reputation for technological expertise and decommissioning involves cutting edge technology and mission critical engineering capabilities. The local community has strong links to the nuclear industry and the decommissioning of the nuclear plant on site will release a potential transferable workforce of hundreds of skilled personnel. “While this option will not deliver job opportunities in the short term it would appear to offer some potential in the medium to longer term.”
There have been meetings with local stakeholder in Trawsfynydd to discuss the development of an SMR factory in the area. A report on the proposed site concluded that there are no physical constraints that would cause problems. There was a U.K. SMR conference last fall and the idea of locating a facility at Trawsfynydd was well received.
Critics of the SMR concept point out that while it is possible to have tight quality controls at a factory, the nuclear industry does not have such a great record with respect to monitoring the procedures and equipment at nuclear power plants. If a problem is missed on the production line, then instead of a single nuclear reactor having potential problems, a whole series of reactors produced at the factory could have similar problems. With respect to reduced costs, the licensing process, the cost of module production, the site preparation and the final assembly of a SMR producing just under three hundred megawatts will not be anywhere near as low as thirty percent of the cost of constructing a one gigawatt power reactor of current design. The nuclear industry is trying frantically to find a way to continue to profit from the sale of nuclear reactors but the development and sale of SMRs may not turn out to be successful for that goal.
Small modular reactor diagram:
