Dr. Conca reported that SMR Start is a new organization of potential customers and vendors investing in the development of advanced modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). It was formed to get SMRs over the initial market humps that plague all new technologies by using proven public-private partnerships that have succeeded with other technologies like renewables.
Because of their small size, 300 MW or less, SMRs are economic, factory built and shippable, flexible enough to desalinate, refine oil, load-follow wind, produce hydrogen and provide something we’ve all been waiting for – a reactor that cannot meltdown. SMR Start’s goal is to ensure that SMRs are a cost-competitive option in the future, with the first units operating by the mid-2020s.
SMR Start advocates for public-private partnerships – similar to those that provide support for the introduction of other new energy technologies such as solar and wind – to help ensure the successful commercialization of SMRs. Public-private partnerships stimulate the private investments required to ensure that the technology continues to advance and is capable of competing in domestic and overseas markets without additional direct support once the technology matures.
Today’s energy markets are characterized by low natural gas prices, heavily subsidized renewable generation and low growth in electricity demand. American vendors also compete in the international markets for the deployment of SMRs and other advanced nuclear reactor designs. Unfortunately, most countries like Russia and China directly subsidize their nation’s nuclear technologies in order to penetrate global markets. The new wave of SMR designs has been supported in many recent inside-the-Beltway initiatives.
For example, by Executive Order 13693, this recognizes SMRs as a source of clean energy.
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