The United States is speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of nuclear reactors to supply carbon-free electricity

The United States is speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of nuclear reactors to supply carbon-free electricity.

Faster development is one thing Congress and the administration agree on. President Joe Biden signed legislation in July to modernize the licensing of new reactor technologies so they can be built faster. Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate environment and House energy committees praised the enactment.

The U.S. is pursuing small modular reactors and advanced reactors. Some designs use something other than water for cooling, such as liquid metal, helium or liquid salt. Developers say the advanced coolants allow the reactors to run at low pressure, making them safer than traditional designs.

Russia and China are the only countries that are already operating advanced reactors.

The United States is trying to boost the new technology; the Energy Department announced $900 million in funding in June. Bill Gates’ company, TerraPower, is the first in the U.S. to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a construction permit for an advanced reactor that would operate as a commercial nuclear power plant.

Questions and Answers

How can the next generation of reactors be a climate solution?

Nuclear power plants don’t emit the planet-warming greenhouse gases that come from power plants that burn fossil fuels.

What is the timeline for these reactors to come online?

The U.S. is working hard to make it happen “in this decade.” And he said the goal is “a massive ramp-up and scale-up of this technology” over the next 10 to 15 years.

What would happen to the radioactive waste from new reactors?

Spent fuel from the new reactors will be stored at the same sites where it’s used — the same situation the U.S. has today — until some federal storage facility is operational.

Do these reactors have the same problems and dangers as large plants?

All U.S. nuclear plants have to meet NRC safety requirements, showing how they operate safely under ordinary conditions.

“They must also show they can safely shut down, and then keep their fuel properly cooled, under normal conditions and in case of severe weather, earthquakes, problems with plant systems and other extreme events. Current reactors use pumps and backup power systems to stay safe; new designs can rely on natural processes such as gravity and convection to remain safe,”

The latest designs are proposing nuclear fuels and cooling capabilities that reduce the already small possibility of fuel overheating or melting. The NRC will require even those designs to account for extreme events and keep their fuel cooled and safe, he said.