nuclear-news

Hard to convince public and regulators that mini nuclear reactors will be safe

there are still many obstacles in the path of the development of small reactors, of which the most difficult to overcome may be securing regulatory approval....

Mini nuclear: very small reactors will need huge sales effort, FT, By Ed Crooks  January 14 2011 “…the hunt is on for a workable small reactor technology that uses the same fuel as most nuclear power plants today.

The global hot spot for the development of that new generation is the US Department of Energy’s nuclear site at Savannah River, South Carolina. The national laboratory there has signed agreements with two groups – Hyperion Power of the US and GE Hitachi, a US/Japanese joint venture – to work on small reactor projects at the site…………The technology, which uses a molten mixture of lead and bismuth to cool the core, was first developed at the famous Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, and Hyperion was set up in 2007, with backing from the US government, to commercialise the design…….

there are still many obstacles in the path of the development of small reactors, of which the most difficult to overcome may be securing regulatory approval….

January 15, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, USA