- #1
BenKlesc
- 8
- 1
- TL;DR Summary
- A debate on what modular reactors will be used for in the future.
I'm been having a debate with a few of my colleagues about what we are witnessing with NuScale.
A coworker of mine told me that the United States is never going to build a light water reactor ever again, and that Vogtle will be the last one. That is a pretty bold statement to make. He told me that modular reactors could have the ability to replace all existing nuclear plants. His reasoning was that the energy market in America has been flat for 30 or more years, and there is no economic need to build BWR's and PWR's.
My question is, how does a reactor like NuScale fit into the current energy market and economy? In other words, how will it be used? Some general question would be, would a modular reactor farm require less manpower to operate which means less jobs?
Another question you could ask. Right now the largest modular reactors in the United States are 77MW. That means you would need around 30 modular reactors to equal the power of a modern LWR power plant. How do we plan to replace our current plants when they expire in this century?
A coworker of mine told me that the United States is never going to build a light water reactor ever again, and that Vogtle will be the last one. That is a pretty bold statement to make. He told me that modular reactors could have the ability to replace all existing nuclear plants. His reasoning was that the energy market in America has been flat for 30 or more years, and there is no economic need to build BWR's and PWR's.
My question is, how does a reactor like NuScale fit into the current energy market and economy? In other words, how will it be used? Some general question would be, would a modular reactor farm require less manpower to operate which means less jobs?
Another question you could ask. Right now the largest modular reactors in the United States are 77MW. That means you would need around 30 modular reactors to equal the power of a modern LWR power plant. How do we plan to replace our current plants when they expire in this century?