NuScale Power CFO At Energy Conference “Next Generation Nuclear Plant Will Be Safer, Greener, More Efficient,”

“We used to speak of economies of scale, but a new generation of nuclear power plants will bring economies of small,” said Surina. “Nuclear power plants that utilize modular, scalable reactors will be easier to finance, easier to build and can play a major role in efforts to mitigate global climate change.”

 - By Stephen Heiser -

"Driven by technological advances, nuclear power entrepreneurs are responding vigorously to the global need for alternatives to coal- and gas-fired plants to meet future energy demand," said John "Jay" Surina, chief financial officer of NuScale Power.

“We used to speak of economies of scale, but a new generation of nuclear power plants will bring economies of small,” said Surina. “Nuclear power plants that utilize modular, scalable reactors will be easier to finance, easier to build and can play a major role in efforts to mitigate global climate change.”

NuScale Power is commercializing a modular, scalable, light water reactor design. The standard design for a power plant contains 12 NuScale reactor modules each producing 45 megawatts for a total of 540 megawatts. Each NuScale reactor module is self-contained and can be installed sequentially. Many nuclear plants in operation today produce well over 1,000 megawatts from a single reactor.

Such large reactors require large upfront investments. Surina said interest among utilities today is growing in smaller nuclear plants that can be scaled to size and require less transmission infrastructure. The NuScale plant fits that bill. It also differs from its predecessor light water reactors in that it is a passively cooled, meaning it doesn’t rely on an elaborate system of pumps to operate safely.

The nuclear reactor and steam generator, also known as the Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS), is a self-contained assembly of reactor core and steam generator tube bundles within a single pressure vessel. Throughout the design, every effort was made to employ existing off-the-shelf technologies to minimize, and in many cases eliminate, the need for additional research and development. The primary coolant (water) is moved by natural circulation, eliminating the need for primary coolant pumps and external power. The NSSS and the passive safety heat removal systems are housed within the compact steel containment.

U.S. fabrication helps accelerate modular manufacturing time
The reactor module, consisting of the containment and its contents, can be entirely fabricated at existing manufacturing facilities in the U.S. As a result, construction can be done on a significantly compressed schedule. Compared to a typical PWR plant, the NSSS parameters are much lower. Thermal rating of the reactor is several times smaller. Coolant pressure and steam pressure is about 50% lower than that of a typical PWR. The power generation system is greatly simplified. It implements a turbine-generator set and condensate/feedwater pump. The entire turbine-generator can be replaced with a spare unit for overhaul. Additionally, NuScale plants will use nuclear fuel assemblies similar to those in today’s commercial nuclear plants. The only difference is the length of the fuel assemblies (6 feet for a NuScale system instead of the traditional 12 feet) and the number of assemblies in the reactor. 

Summit web site: www.newenergyfinancesummit.com

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