Construction permit issued for small modular nuclear reactor
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a construction permit for a commercial small modular nuclear reactor, authorizing the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a 300-megawatt reactor near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Small modular reactors are designed to be simpler, more standardized, and easier to build than conventional nuclear plants, potentially reducing the cost of expanding nuclear power. The permit is the second issued for a US commercial reactor this year, following TerraPower’s Natrium reactor in Wyoming in March,” notes Human Progress.
The New York Times reports:
“The nation’s largest federally owned utility received permission on Tuesday to build a new type of small nuclear reactor in Tennessee, in the latest sign of growing momentum for U.S. nuclear power.
The Tennessee Valley Authority was granted a construction permit by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a small reactor at its Clinch River site, west of Knoxville. It’s only the second time that U.S. regulators have given approval to build a next-generation commercial reactor. The first was in March for a project in Wyoming backed by Bill Gates.
The T.V.A. is considering up to four new reactors at Clinch River that are designed to be much smaller than traditional nuclear power plants. The hope is these ‘small modular reactors’ will be easier to build and finance, potentially avoiding the delays and cost overruns that have plagued U.S. nuclear projects in recent decades.”
India recently passed a law to let private companies build and operate nuclear power plants.
In other news, “The nuclear power company TerraPower has received a permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a sodium-cooled reactor in Wyoming, the first approval for a non-water-cooled commercial reactor in decades. Sodium cooling allows reactors to operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures than conventional water-cooled plants, which can improve efficiency. The design will also include thermal storage, allowing the reactor to store energy as heat during periods of low demand,” reported The Doomslayer.
TerraPower is one of at least five nuclear startups backed by big tech firms or their founders, in response to rising electricity demand from data centers. At least $2 billion was invested in nuclear startups in the few two months of this year.
A nuclear plant in Florida is helping crocodiles thrive. Russia signed an agreement with Ethiopia to build a nuclear power plant.
A nuclear plant that closed after an earthquake and tsunami will reopen in Japan, which should cut electricity bills and save lives.
MIT scientists plan to build a fusion power plant in Virginia.
We should avoid as much as possible any new/ upgrade energy generations in Democratic/ Blue/ Democratic Social states as possible until they cleanup their PIE Hole/ Sanctuary Policies. In-particularly Virginia.