Hatch opined in early 2021 that as electric utilities rush to reduce carbon emissions by investing in intermittent renewables such as wind and solar, they often rely heavily on fossil fuels to provide steady baseload power. More than 60 percent of the nation’s electricity is still generated with fossil fuels, especially coalfired and gas-fired power plants that have the ability to quickly ramp up or ramp down power to follow loads on the electric grid. Most experts agree that even with a radical advancement in energy storage technology, relying exclusively on wind and solar to replace fossil fuels won’t be enough to maintain a stable electric grid and avoid the major impacts of climate change.
To complete the transition to a carbon-free energy future, one key piece of the puzzle remains: nuclear power. Conventional light water reactors already account for roughly 55 percent of all carbon-free electricity produced in the United States. A crucial distinction between nuclear and other clean sources like
wind and solar is that nuclear remains one of the few ways to generate reliable, carbon-free power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
But conventional LWRs have three major limitations. First and foremost is cost. U.S. utilities that have attempted new reactor construction in the past decade or so have faced major cost overruns and construction delays. Second, conventional LWRs operate most efficiently near peak capacity, which
means they lose money when demand for electricity drops. And third, conventional LWRs operate at low temperatures that make them less efficient and less able to recover costs by producing process heat that can be sold for industrial applications.
To overcome these limitations, dozens of U.S. companies are developing advanced nuclear reactor technologies—microreactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), molten salt reactors, liquid metal reactors, and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, in particular. Just as jet engines haven’t completely replaced propeller planes, and electric vehicles haven’t completely supplanted gasoline engines, advanced nuclear technologies won’t necessarily replace large
LWRs. Rather, advanced nuclear technologies have the capability to provide low-cost power that’s inherently safe and flexible. These reactors will be able to fill a variety of new roles, such as load following—adjusting the power output to complement intermittent renewables. They could also produce
process heat for industry and provide power for remote communities and military installations.
To make these reactors a reality, U.S. companies have spent years working hand in hand with the Department of Energy and its national laboratories to navigate funding, technical, regulatory, and siting challenges. Now these efforts are finally bearing fruit. Advanced reactor companies—including NuScale
Power, TerraPower, Oklo, and X-energy—anticipate having innovative demonstration and commercial reactors ready for deployment in the next several years.
Hatch concluded by stating that in the end, if everything goes right, the reactors planned for construction over the next several years will lead these U.S. companies to their ultimate goal: commercialization. “The key to commercialization is having confidence that the reactor design can be developed,
approved, and constructed,” INL’s Jess Gehin said. “You have information related to cost because you have actually built it and sourced all the parts. You also have experience operating the reactor.”
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