Advanced Reactor Program in the United States Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference Dr. John E. Kelly Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Technologies Office of Nuclear Energy U.S. Department of Energy August 27, 2014
U.S. Committed to “ 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
Meeting Clean Energy Goals will Require a Shift in Electricity Production 2010 2035 CO 2 Elect Elect CO 2 (Gton) (TWhr) (TWhr) Source (Gton) 1000 0.4 0.5 1520 Natural Gas 1.7 1730 1800 1.8 Coal 0 0 0 0 Coal (CCS) 790 0 870 0 Nuclear (Large) 0 0 0 0 Nuclear (SMR) 325 0 300 0 Hydro 0 200 440 0 Renewable 0.04 50 40 0.03 Petroleum/Other 2.2 4095 4970 2.3 TOTAL 1.0 EIA Reference 2010 U.S Electricity Consumption Projections 2035 and CO 2 Emissions. EIA CE=42% CE=43% Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2013 3
Status of New Builds in U.S. First new reactors being built in U.S. in 30 years Nuclear construction (Commercial Operation Date) • Watts Bar 2015 • Vogtle 2017- 2018 • V.C. Summer 2017- 2018 Gen III+ designs are a major evolutionary step in large reactor technology Challenges of nuclear deployment • High capital cost • Lower electricity demand • Low natural gas prices • Post – Fukushima safety concerns Vogtle 3 & 4, Courtesy of Georgia Power 4
SMRs can be Game Changers “I believe small modular reactors could represent the next generation of nuclear energy technology, providing a strong opportunity for America to lead this emerging global industry.” U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resource Confirmation Hearing on April 9, 2013 “We are committed to fostering the safe and secure contribution of nuclear power to the global energy mix.” ~ IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security – July 1, 2013 5
Small Modular Reactor Technologies are of Great Interest in the U.S. Further improve passive safety technology Reduce capital cost and project risk Regain technical leadership and advance innovative reactor technologies and concepts Create high-quality domestic manufacturing, construction, and engineering jobs Become global leader in SMR technology based on mature nuclear infrastructure and NRC certified designs MPower NuScale Challenge to SMR fleet deployment: Prove economy of mass production is competitive with economy of scale 6
U.S. DOE Program to Support SMR Design Certification & Licensing 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 In 2012, DOE initiated a 6 year/$452 M program 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 7
Generation IV International Forum 8
Genesis of Generation IV Concept In 1999, low public and political support for nuclear energy • Oil and gas prices were low USA proposed a bold initiative in 2000 • The vision was to leapfrog LWR technology and collaborate with international partners to share R&D on advanced nuclear systems • 9 Countries and EU joined USA in developing the initiative • Oil prices jumped soon thereafter Gen IV concept defined via technology goals and legal framework • Technology Roadmap released in 2002 – 2 year study with more than100 experts worldwide – Nearly 100 reactor designs evaluated and down selected to 6 most promising concepts • First signatures collected on Framework Agreement in 2005; first research projects defined in 2006 “This may have been the first time that the world came together to decide on a fission technology to develop together.” ~William Magwood IV, First Chairman of the Generation IV International Forum 9
Technology Roadmap Update Roadmap first published 2002 VHTR Decadal update just completed 2013 SFR SCWR MSR LFR GFR 2000 2010 2020 2030 viability performance demonstration 2002 2013 www.gen- 4.org/gif/jcms/c_60729/technology- roadmap-update-2013 10
U.S. DOE Advanced Reactor Technologies Research & Development Fast Reactor Technologies • For actinide management and electricity production High Temperature Test Facility Oregon State University • Current focus on sodium coolant High Temperature Reactor Technologies • For electricity and process heat production • Current focus on gas- and liquid salt-cooled systems Advanced Reactor Generic Technologies • Common design needs for advanced materials, energy conversion, decay heat removal systems and modeling methods Advanced Reactor Regulatory Framework • Development of licensing requirements for advanced reactors Advanced Reactor System Studies • Analyses of capital, operations and fuel costs for advanced reactor types 11
Sodium Fast Reactor Integral part of a closed fuel cycle Detailed design of ASTRID (France), JSFR (Japan), PGSFR (Korea) are proceeding, BN-1200 is under development (Russia) Start-up of BN-800 (Russia) in July 2014 R&D focus • Analyses and experiments to demonstrate safety approaches • High burn-up actinide bearing fuels • Develop advanced components and energy conversion systems 500º - 550º C 12
Very High Temperature Reactor High temperature enables non-electric applications Japan HTTR in operation and China HTR-PM demonstration plant under construction R&D focus on materials and fuels • Develop a worldwide materials handbook • Benchmarking of computer models • Shared irradiations – Confirmed excellent performance TRISO fuel 1000º C 13
Summary Nuclear Power is important for clean energy DOE stands behind continued SMR development and sees the global market emerging in the 2022-2025 timeframe U.S. will continue to support efforts that improve SMR market potential domestically and internationally Gen IV Reactors are needed in the future Cutaway of 2-unit Generation mPower SMR installation ~ Courtesy 2013 Generation mPower LLC All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission. . 14
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