~ (@Michael-official) on getquin

1Mon·

Rolls-Royce
$RR. (-0.37%) aims to play a leading role in the field of mini-nuclear power plants (Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and has already won a major order from the Czech Republic. Czech Republic 🇨🇿 and Great Britain 🇬🇧.

The growing interest of tech giants such as Google
$GOOGL (+0.94%) and Amazon
$AMZN (+0.26%) in this innovative technology opens up promising export opportunities for the company and strengthens its position in the global market for clean energy market. -Handelsblatt

Photo: Rolls Royce

11 Comments

Tenbagger2024@Tenbagger2024

1Mon

According to studies, mini nuclear power plants are more expensive and dirtier than large nuclear power plants.
More nuclear waste
The mini-reactors are intended to contribute to the energy transition away from fossil fuels, but there are two main points of criticism. One concerns the production of nuclear waste. A study by researchers from Stanford University and the University of British Columbia, which was published this year in the scientific journal "PNAS", compared three different types of SMR reactors with outputs of less than 300 megawatts with nuclear power plants with outputs in the gigawatt range. This showed that the amount of nuclear waste caused by spent fuel alone would be five times higher in relation to the power generated.
Small reactors, such as those examined in the study, produce at least nine times more radioactively contaminated steel than large nuclear reactors, the research team reports in the study. This is reflected in the costs.
Economic viability questionable
The price is another point of criticism. Small reactors are advertised as cheap. However, a study published in the specialist journal "Energy Policy" in 2020 used the example of Canada to calculate that the costs of miniaturized nuclear power plants would be significantly higher than those of power plants with comparable output that use wind or solar energy. A study by the German Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management came to a similar conclusion. Overall, mini nuclear power plants are more expensive, and the report also doubts that they are easier to dismantle.

•

View all 10 further answers