The U.S. Is Betting Big on Small Nuclear Reactors (done up with green paint)

Oil Price, By Felicity Bradstock – Mar 14, 2024,

After decades of decline, the U.S. is significantly increasing its investment in nuclear energy to address climate change and strengthen energy security.
The recently passed Atomic Energy Advancement Act simplifies approval processes for novel reactor designs, aiming to expedite the development of new nuclear power plants.

………. The U.S. is set to accelerate the rollout of new nuclear power plants and reactors following the passing of new legislation this month. This follows a movement away from nuclear power for several decades due to the poor political and public perception of nuclear power due to several notable nuclear disasters………………..

This month, the House approved legislation aimed at developing U.S. nuclear power capacity in the coming years, with a vote of 365 to 36. The Atomic Energy Advancement Act was widely approved by both the Democrat and Republican parties ………

……………………………..The law will see that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) streamlines its processes for the approval of new reactor designs, and will increase hiring at the commission, reduce fees for applicants, establish financial prizes for novel types of reactors, and encourage the development of nuclear power at the sites of retiring coal plants. The legislation is expected to support the greatest development of U.S. nuclear power of this generation. ……………………………..

The Biden administration has repeatedly demonstrated its support for nuclear power by passing laws and approving funding to keep existing nuclear projects afloat. Two policies, passed in 2021 and 2022, provided the funding needed to save 22 reactors, with further investment being rolled out this year. This financing is expected to keep the existing U.S. nuclear reactor fleet online until at least 2032, by which time the government hopes greater investment will be being made into new nuclear projects. The policies also provide funding for research and development into the next generation of modular, more flexible nuclear plants

The passing of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act is expected to speed up the deployment of new nuclear energy technology, supported by previous Biden administration policies that provide greater investment to the sector. While strict safety regulations must be upheld, the government is putting pressure on the NRC to modernize and approve innovative reactor designs to allow for new nuclear energy capacity to be rolled out …. https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/The-US-Is-Betting-Big-on-Small-Nuclear-Reactors.html

March 16, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, USA

1 Comment »

I was told back in the 1950’s when “Speedy Kilowatt” came to my elementary school, that atomic power, as nuclear power was known back then, “would be too cheap to meter.” We know that is a lie. Then in 1979, Three Mile Island meltdown occurred in TMI II in Middletown, PA the day the “China Syndrome” premiered in Philadelphia, where I lived at the time. There no safe, permanent storage site for nuclear waste. No new nuclear power plants have been ordered since 1980. Renewable energy of solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power continue to grow in size and capacity. Then Chernobyl and Fukushima happened “SMR’s are not economical, not safe and totally unnecessary for our energy needs. They are just the last gasp of a dying, profit addicted industry trying to revive itself in “green washing” of nuclear power to fight climate change. “Atoms for Peace” or for fighting Global Warming is nothing but a con job “gaslighting” the public to the fraud that it is. If you really think that we need nuclear power, continuing to need to explore, drill, extracting, fossil fuel especially natural gas as a “transition fuel” until “renewable energy is ready.” Or extracting natural gas to the turn it into “blue hydrogen” instead of “green hydrogen.” Go to the Website of The Solutions Project and the Rocky Mountain Institute to find the plans, research, on the technology, raw materials on renewable energy. We have the raw materials, technology, and plans to meet our energy needs now for all 50 states and over 146 countries all over planet now.

Comment by paulrodenlearning | March 16, 2024 | Reply