Utah energy co-op pushes small nuclear reactor development

Dive Brief:

The Deseret News reports Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) is pushing ahead with the development of a small modular nuclear reactor in partnership with NuScale Power, funded by about $250 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
However, the energy cooperative must still submit designs to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and UAMPS board of directors must give final approval as well. The advanced reactor could be up and running by 2024.
The cooperative must supply energy to more than 40 communities in the West, and anticipates more stringent emissions standards will require it to replace 320 MW of coal-fired production expected to retire in the next few years.

Dive Insight:

There is still a long way to go on UAMPS nuclear project, but the cooperative energy provider told Deseret News that it is moving ahead with the plan as it faces retirement of significant coal capacity under stricter emissions standards.

"This technology is way different than any nuclear technology that us or the world has seen because it does not have any moving parts," UAMPS CEO and General Manager Doug Hunter told the paper. "It's using conduction and gravity."

The proposed reactor would be enclosed in a 76 feet by 15 feet cylinder located underground. While Deseret News reports each reactor could be 50 MW, last year news of the cooperative's partnership with NuScale said the facility could be as large as 600 MW.

In February, the U.S. Department of Energy announced an agreement allowing UAMPS access to DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory site to develop the project. The federal government plans to spend more than $450 million to get licensing of the smaller facilities up and running. DOE has shown growing interest in smaller reactors, which typically feature compact, scalable designs and could potentially supply low-carbon baseload energy to small electric systems.

A representative from the Utah governor's office told Deseret News the state is excited about the project's potential.

"What is exciting is a utility provider based in Utah that serves Utah municipalities and Utah customers is on the leading edge of a cutting technology. We think that is fantastic," said Jeffrey Barrett, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Energy Development. "There are all sorts of pressures to move to carbon free resources and the modular reactors seem to be a good fit."