A few days ago, the British government set out the UK’s future energy direction, confirming that nuclear power will be its centerpiece. The country, which aspires to increase its energy independence and do without fossil fuels, intends to build eight new large reactors so that share of nuclear energy reaches 25%, compared to 15% currently.
But perhaps the greatest novelty lies in the small modular reactors (SMR) which will make it possible to achieve this objective: the United Kingdom is one of the countries which wishes to participate in this “energy revolution” by installing dozens of these “small” reactors on its territory, which, like L.M. has already explained, have advantages over conventional reactors, because they are easier to install, safer, especially due to their reduced size, cheaper and more likely to be used, even in remote locations.
Although SMRs are already under construction in Russia and China, they are expected to be fully operational by the 1930s. By then, the more than 70 projects they are working on around the world should be ready for operation. Among them, the mini-jet on which Rolls-Royce, an engineering company best known for its luxury cars, but which has worked in the energy sector for years.
It is also a major manufacturer of aviation engines, both civil and military, including that of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft, in service in several European countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Austria.
The director of Rolls-Royce’s SMR division, Paul Stein, announced a few days ago that regulatory authorities are expected to give the green light in 2024 and that their mini jets will be ready to provide energy in the United Kingdom in 2029.
“We are trying to work with the British government” to start supplying energy “in mid-2029,” he announced in statements reported by The Guardian. Rolls-Royce wants to build ten of them by 2035.
https://twitter.com/OperadorNuclear/status/1516628071171989511
Alfredo Garcia (@OperadorNuclear) highlighted on Wednesday some of the features of the Rolls-Royce SMR: the reactor will measure 16 meters long by 4 meters wide and the modular construction and factory assembly of 90% of its components will speed up the construction time of the plant. It is estimated that it will only take 500 days.
The company has refined the design of the standard plant, which will occupy a space of about two football stadiums. In terms of power, it will be able to generate 470 Mwe, representing a supply capacity of more than one million homes per year. The company estimates that the energy produced will cost around £50 per megawatt, which it says is comparable to wind power, another pillar of Johnson’s energy strategy, which aims to install a huge offshore wind farm in the North.
In her report defending her design of the SMR, she highlights another of the great advantages of mini-reactors: their versatility to produce, in addition to electricity, energy for desalination plants or to power large industrial installations, among others. other uses.
Rolls-Royce also says the first SMRs will cost £2.2 million, but this cost will drop to £1.8 million from the sixth engine onwards. In terms of operating life, they estimate that they will operate for at least 60 years and that spent fuel will be stored on site.
Rolls-Royce’s mini-reactor will use familiar technology: it will be a pressurized water reactor fueled by uranium oxide. He will use passive safety systems which could allow the plant to operate for 72 hours while minimizing human action and energy requirements. It will be equipped with a steel containment enclosure to protect key systems, a special tank to confine the melted core in the event of a major accident, and barriers resistant to external attacks such as aircraft impacts and tsunamis to protect critical equipment.