My Clean Break column today takes a look at the so-called nuclear renaissance and how the economics of building new nuke plants — ones with reactors ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 MW in size — simply aren’t working. “We see little prospect of these costs falling and every likelihood of them rising further,” according to Citigroup, which put out a report last month slamming the attractiveness of nuclear power, largely because of the high development, construction and operational risks associated with them. “In our view, it is extremely unlikely that private sector developers will be willing or able to take on the construction, power price and operational risks of new nuclear stations,” Citigroup reasons. “The returns would need to be underpinned by the government and the risks shared with the taxpayer/consumer.”

The column goes on to discuss the benefits of small-scale nuclear power — i.e. less than 300 mw — and how a number of companies (as well as Sandia National Laboratories) are pursuing the market. In fact, the president of the American Nuclear Society says small nukes are now a big focus of the U.S. industry, which is beginning to acknowledge that utilities want a product that’s modular, scalable, less risky, and potentially less expensive than big reactors. The key is to build them in a factory setting using robotic assembly, and then deliver them filled with enough fuel to operate for up to 20 years without refuelling. The reactors would be low maintenance, have passive safety features, and would be buried underground. I’m not a huge fan of nuclear, but if we are to have it, I’m in favour of this form of distributed nuclear generation.

My Clean Break column in today’s Toronto Star takes a close look at Hyperion Power Generation, the New Mexico start-up that believes the future of nuclear power will be built in 25-megawatt chunks. Most of us, when we think of distributed power generation, think of solar and wind and other renewables. Hyperion wants to add nuclear to that list. Based on technology developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the company has developed a nuclear “battery” the size of a garden shed that produces enough power over 5 to 10 years to supply the equivalent of 20,000 homes. At a cost of $30 million, the reactor is ideally suited to oil-sand developments, military bases and other remote outposts, the company says.

It uses uranium hydride as fuel and the design is based on TRIGA reactors used to safely train young nuclear scientists. It’s self-moderating — when the reactor core goes above 550 degrees C the fuel begins to lose hydrogen atoms, which are collected in special storage trays surrounding the core. The loss of hydrogen atoms naturally cools down the reactor to a point where it begins to reabsorb the hydrogen atoms again. This cycle keeps the temperature fairly constant and makes a meltdown virtually impossible. No water cooling is required. (more…)