Large Modular Reactors: Practical Options to Achieve an Economical Grid Supply and a Sustainable Nuclear Power Industry

With the exception of remote regions or regions with very small grid demand (<300 MWe), it is anticipated that there should still be a good long-term market for large-scale modular reactors (LMRs) to replace clusters of smaller-sized thermal power generating stations using fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), and also to build new LMRs at existing reactor sites in the United States, and other nations, especially to supply baseload electricity for major urban centers and metropolitan regions with more than 1,000,000 people. The purpose of this panel discussion is to discuss and review design options, markets and tradeoffs for the implementation of larger-scale reactors that have a number of modular features that can help reduce absolute and relative capital costs, operational costs, and can reduce construction time periods, such that they will have some of the proposed and anticipated advantages of small modular reactors (SMRs). Another issue for consideration and discussion is the sustainability of the nuclear power industry, whereby a given vendor must manufacture and sell a minimum number of reactor units on a periodic basis in order to maintain financial sustainability and technical capabilities and manufacturing infrastructure. Discussion of energy storage and load following capabilities for LMRs is another important consideration.