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No new nuclear units will be built in US due to high cost: Exelon official

5 points by spenrose 8y ago

spenrose 8y ago
If the existing nuclear units in the US can be kept operational despite the economic challenges they face, and technology can be developed to store energy generated by renewable technologies, which are currently intermittently available, "then we won't need these [new nuclear units] at that point," Von Hoene said. "And we won't build them because they'll be too expensive." ... Von Hoene's stance includes so-called small modular reactors, or SMRs, and advanced designs, he said. "Right now, the costs on the SMRs, in part because of the size and in part because of the security that's associated with any nuclear plant, are prohibitive," Von Hoene said. "It's possible that that would evolve over time, and we're involved in looking at that technology," Von Hoene said. "Right now they're prohibitively expensive."
PaulHoule 8y ago
We've got to lose the steam turbine and switch to an indirect Brayton cycle if there is any chance nuclear will be competitive with natural gas. The bad economics of the nuclear steam turbine was what drove giantism, and in turn, non-constructability. Back then the competition was the better steam conditions in coal-fired plants, but now gas turbine power plants make coal burners unaffordable.
mimixco 8y ago
Hallelujah
- mimixco 8y ago
  I've noticed that any anti-nuclear comments on HN get downvoted. Hmmm... For my pro-nuke friends, I highly recommend "Nuclear Power is Not the Answer" by Helen Caldicott. If anyone can find fault with her research, I'd like to know about it. https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Power-Answer-Helen-Caldicott/dp/1595582134 https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Power-Answer-Helen-Caldicott/...
heyjudy 8y ago
Insurance, NRC and NIMBY's are the biggest obstacles. Lower pressure, molten-salt, smaller reactors like DMSR/MSRE @ ORNL and Taylor Wilson proposed with smaller, mass-manufactured reactors with scram/reprocessing pools beneath them would be superior to complex, one-of, inherently riskier, high-pressure *WR. Disclaimer: I used to work in the nuclear industry in the US until it dried up. Our computer hostnames were based on The Simpsons' characters.

5 points by spenrose 8y ago

If the existing nuclear units in the US can be kept operational despite the economic challenges they face, and technology can be developed to store energy generated by renewable technologies, which are currently intermittently available, "then we won't need these [new nuclear units] at that point," Von Hoene said. "And we won't build them because they'll be too expensive." ... Von Hoene's stance includes so-called small modular reactors, or SMRs, and advanced designs, he said. "Right now, the costs on the SMRs, in part because of the size and in part because of the security that's associated with any nuclear plant, are prohibitive," Von Hoene said. "It's possible that that would evolve over time, and we're involved in looking at that technology," Von Hoene said. "Right now they're prohibitively expensive."

PaulHoule 8y ago

We've got to lose the steam turbine and switch to an indirect Brayton cycle if there is any chance nuclear will be competitive with natural gas. The bad economics of the nuclear steam turbine was what drove giantism, and in turn, non-constructability. Back then the competition was the better steam conditions in coal-fired plants, but now gas turbine power plants make coal burners unaffordable.

mimixco 8y ago

Hallelujah

mimixco 8y ago
I've noticed that any anti-nuclear comments on HN get downvoted. Hmmm... For my pro-nuke friends, I highly recommend "Nuclear Power is Not the Answer" by Helen Caldicott. If anyone can find fault with her research, I'd like to know about it. https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Power-Answer-Helen-Caldicott/dp/1595582134 https://www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Power-Answer-Helen-Caldicott/...

heyjudy 8y ago

Insurance, NRC and NIMBY's are the biggest obstacles. Lower pressure, molten-salt, smaller reactors like DMSR/MSRE @ ORNL and Taylor Wilson proposed with smaller, mass-manufactured reactors with scram/reprocessing pools beneath them would be superior to complex, one-of, inherently riskier, high-pressure *WR. Disclaimer: I used to work in the nuclear industry in the US until it dried up. Our computer hostnames were based on The Simpsons' characters.