DOE Small Modular Reactor Licensing Technical Support Program Overview for National Conference of State Legislatures June 19, 2014 Tim Beville Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Department of Energy
Administration is committed to an All of the Above Clean Energy Strategy By 2035, 80% of America s electricity will come from clean energy sources. Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. To meet this goal we will need them all. ~2011 State of the Union All-of-the-above is not merely a slogan, but a clear-cut pathway to creating jobs and at the same time reducing carbon emissions, which recently stood at their lowest level in 20 years President Obama has made clear that he sees nuclear energy as part of America s low carbon energy portfolio. And nuclear power is already an important part of the clean energy solution here in the United States. ~Secretary of Energy, Dr. Ernest Moniz at National Press Club, February 19, 2014 2
Why is DOE Investing in SMRs? The All of the above strategy involves investing in promising low-carbon technologies with potential for wide-scale deployment over the coming decades Nuclear power remains a key element of U.S. energy strategy and more nuclear power is needed to meet environmental goals Large LWRs are on a path for deployment in several markets but face challenges SMRs are complementary and have potential to allow even greater penetration of nuclear power into energy field 3
Attributes of SMR Technologies NE working definition of SMRs: reactor units with a nominal output of 300 MWe or less and are able to have large components or modules fabricated remotely and transported to the site for assembly of components and operation. Potential Benefits Enhanced safety and security Reduced capital cost makes nuclear power feasible for more utilities Shorter construction schedules due to modular construction Improved quality due to replication in factory-setting Meets electric demand growth incrementally Re-establish U.S. technical leadership in nuclear energy via international sales Domestic job creation potential very high Potential Markets Domestic and international utility markets Non-electrical (process heat/desalination) customers 4
Challenges Facing SMRs Design innovations need to be accepted by NRC Certification is a multi-year endeavor Significant investment needed to reach the market On the order of $500 + M per design Can the plants be built cheaply enough? Economies of replication > economies of scale? Need a factory to make the price attractive, need an attractive price to produce the orders to warrant building the factory Can operations and maintenance costs be kept low? How will simplified inherently safe designs translate into smaller workforce and operation costs and comply with regulatory requirements? 5
Light water-based SMRs will be the first to be licensed Well-understood Technology Uranium Oxide fuels Applicable regulatory and operating experience Passive safety features that build on GEN III+ reactors Licensing horizon 5-10 years Commercial Interest Domestic focus is on electricity production May have process heat applications for industrial use NuScale Holtec SMR-160 Westinghouse B&W mpower These LW-based designs are considered Integral Pressurized Water Reactor (IPWR) Designs 6
Definition of Integral Pressurized Water Reactor Designs Steam Generator Pump Loop-type Primary System Control Rod Drive Core Pressurizer Integral Primary System Steam Generator Pump Pressurizer Control Rod Drive Enhances robustness by eliminating major classes of accidents (e.g., large pipe break). Simplifies design by eliminating unneeded safety systems, large piping and external vessels. Allows for compact containment (small plant footprint) to enhance economics and security. Core 7
Size Comparison of Conventional Large LWR and SMR Representative Westinghouse Nuclear Steam Supply System Westinghouse SMR Integral Nuclear Steam Supply System 25 Westinghouse SMR Containment Vessels fit into single AP1000 Containment Vessel 8
Domestic LW-Based Designs: Generation mpower 180 MWe Utilizes standard UO 2 LWR fuel Up to 4 year refueling interval No reliance on AC power or operator action for 72 hrs. following a design basis accident Provides air-cooled condenser option Base design is fielded in a 2-pack configuration which has shared balance of plant features such as spent fuel Reactor Coolant Pumps Pressurizer Steam Generator Control Rod Drive Mechanisms Core 9
Domestic LW-Based Designs: Westinghouse SMR >225 MWe Baseload, load following, extended reduced power operations, and load regulation capable plant 100% modular nuclear generating station Utilizes shortened Westinghouse UO 2 17x17 fuel elements (same as AP1000, but about half length) 24 month refueling cycle Horizontally mounted, canned reactor coolant pumps Eliminates shaft seal concerns Utilizes passive safety technology derived from the AP1000 TM plant design Have slowed their design activities since not receiving DOE support Containment Pressurizer Core Makeup Tanks (3) Steam Generator Control Rod Drive Mechanisms Reactor Coolant Pump (8) In-Containment Pool Core/Fuel 10
Domestic LW-Based Designs: NuScale 45 MWe net per unit up to 12 units/facility Utilizes standard UO 2 LWR fuel 2 year refueling interval Relies on the physical laws of convection, conduction and gravity to drive coolant flow as a natural circulation plant Indefinite coping period in the event of station black-out Containment Vessel Reactor Vessel Steam Generator Core 11
Domestic LW-Based Designs: Holtec SMR-160 160 MWe Utilizes standard LWR UO 2 fuel Fuel cartridge design for ease of fueling operations 3-4 year refueling interval Utilizes passive circulation cooling under normal operating conditions Holtec has existing nuclear certified manufacturing capabilities and facilities Experience with NRC licensing processes Design development project underway with URS Nuclear Engineering and PSEG 12
Advanced Small Modular Reactors New Innovative Technologies Liquid metal, gas and molten saltcooled Licensing horizon 10-20 years Less near-term commercial interest Characteristics such as high temperature operation allow broader applications Process heat Desalination Hydrogen generation Transportable/mobile Long-lived cores Waste management GE PRISM GEN-4 GA MHTR 13
DOE SMR Licensing Technical Support Program Provide financial assistance for design engineering, testing, certification and licensing of promising SMR technologies with high likelihood of being deployed at domestic sites Accelerate commercial SMR development through public/private arrangements Planned for deployments as early as 2022 In 2012, DOE initiated a 6 year/$452 M program Cost sharing at 50% Funding being provided to industry partners through cooperative agreements Exploring additional mechanisms for SMR fleet deployment The U.S. Government wants to support the safest, most robust SMR designs that minimize the probability of any release 14
Status of SMR Industry Partnerships B&W mpower America Cooperative Agreement established with team consisting of B&W, Bechtel, and TVA in April 2013 Initial DOE commitment of $101 M through March 2014 B&W and DOE in process of establishing a path forward to meeting goals of the program NuScale Power Selection of NuScale announced on December 12, 2013 Cooperative agreement signed on May 27, 2014 DOE plans to provide $217 M through 2017 Focus is on a 2023 deployment 15
Research, Development & Demonstration Activities Supported under the SMR LTS Program In addition to supporting specific SMR projects, NE is supporting generic activities that can improve SMR commercialization potential Focus is on the following areas: User requirements for SMRs Technical analyses to address licensing concerns Economics Market Analysis Efforts being supported by vendors, utilities, the regulator and other stakeholders Up to 2% of program budget We believe that these efforts are yielding cost-effective insights into the commercialization and deployment potential of SMRs 16
Conclusion NE has the full support of the Administration to aggressively promote SMRs DOE believes that SMRs can provide a safe, secure and economical option to meet the Nation s energy needs DOE funding should have a significant impact on accelerating the first movers and building the momentum for the subsequent builds I think [SMRs are] a very promising direction we need to pursue. It s where a lot of innovation is going on with nuclear energy. There s a great potential payout there along with very strong safety considerations associated with these reactors. Dr. E. Moniz Confirmation Hearing April 9, 2013 17