Advanced Nuclear Energy

Advanced Nuclear Technologies

Today’s new generation of nuclear reactors, often referred to as advanced reactors, build on decades of government-funded R&D conducted in university and national labs. Advanced nuclear technologies offer significant carbon-free energy necessary to counter climate change, as well as technological and safety benefits far beyond today’s “conventional” nuclear reactors.

In an era of advanced materials, supercomputing, and modular construction, different options are emerging for clean energy. A new generation of engineers are working to deploy innovative technologies and actualize the US clean energy transition. These R&D efforts have yielded a range of major advancements:

1. Many new nuclear technologies use coolants other than light water, such as molten salts, liquid metals, and high temperature gasses, allowing for higher efficiency and improved safety.
2. New nuclear technology has also made breakthroughs for efficiency by solving how to operate at normal atmospheric pressure—thereby further reducing safety risks.
3. Advanced nuclear designs prioritize passive safety, minimizing potential risks that can lead to accidents.
4. New nuclear engineers have designed reactors small and simple enough to be mass-produced in factories—significantly slashing construction costs and saving time.

Still curious? Read-on for some more information on advanced nuclear energy and check out some of the resources below!

How Reactors Work

Conventional nuclear power reactors, otherwise known as light water reactors (LWRs), are cooled with water. Our LWR fleet has a long track record of safe operation and currently is our largest source of clean electricity. However, emerging advanced reactors with innovative designs, coolants, and fuels offer potential to be even safer, more cost-effective, and constructed under faster timelines.

Fuel

Many advanced reactors need a specific type of fuel called high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to operate efficiently and at smaller sizes. This fuel contains uranium enriched to anywhere from 5 to 20%. Currently, US reactors use fuel enriched from 3 to 5%.

There are no enrichment facilities in the US commercially producing HALEU. HALEU can be produced by further enriching the low-enriched uranium produced for the existing fleet, or by blending the enriched uranium from surplus US military-related stockpiles, as it is done for the Navy. The Department of Energy and nuclear industry are prioritizing the development of reliable HALEU supply chains, particularly in light of the growing demand from reactors to be demonstrated before the end of the decade, as well as the future commercial need.

Additional Resources

• Advanced Nuclear 101
• Advanced Reactor Information System
• What is a Fast Reactor?
• Nuclear Fusion Power
• 2018 Advanced Nuclear Directory

Frequently Asked Questions

Safety

Why are new nuclear plants safer than existing nuclear plants?

While the reactors we use in the United States today have an impressive safety record, new reactors are being designed with features that can maintain safety in more efficient and cost-effective ways. Since many advanced reactor designs eliminate the need for high pressure or water as a coolant, they can rely on “passive physics” (rather than powered safety systems) to complete emergency shutdowns. Such characteristics allow a reactor to efficiently remove residual heat in the event of an accident or malfunction.

An example is the use of gravity, not external power or human intervention, to release valves into the “safe” position if the plant loses power. This approach ensures that the reactor core remains covered in its coolant and does not melt down, virtually precluding the types of emergency scenarios large reactors have experienced, such as Three Mile Island and Fukushima.

Costs

How are advanced nuclear lower costs than conventional nuclear?

Developers are working to create reactors with simpler designs, modular construction, scaling, and other innovations to be cost competitive with fossil fuels. Moreover, features such as passive safety systems, increased time between refueling, and improved reliability also contribute to lower overall costs. Modularization and smaller sizes also allow more reactor content to be fabricated within a factory setting, facilitating mass manufacture and minimizing construction and project risks. According to an Energy Innovation Reform Project (EIRP) report, the cost of electricity from SMR plants can be 40% lower than traditional nuclear plants (once supply chain and learning processes have scaled), and thereby competitive with other types of clean energy generation.

Waste

Will new nuclear plants create more nuclear waste?

Spent or used fuel, a type of nuclear waste, is a challenge for today’s reactor operators and the federal government. While operators are safely storing spent fuel onsite at plants across the country, the siting of long-term storage and disposal facilities for spent fuel remains a challenge in the US and many other countries. Some advanced reactor designs have the potential to address these concerns by actually consuming spent fuel, dramatically reducing the amount of waste requiring storage. Other advanced reactors, such as fast neutron reactors, would help manage spent fuel by using fuel much more efficiently than current reactors and creating new usable nuclear fuel. This could significantly reduce the real but manageable environmental challenges caused by trying to manage spent nuclear fuel for centuries.

Security/Nonproliferation

Aren’t smaller nuclear reactors more dangerous because of the proliferation risk?

Work is underway to develop innovative methods for advanced reactors that reduce security and proliferation risks. Industry, government, and other stakeholders are working hard to adapt security and safeguards approaches to new reactor designs. Some advanced reactor designs may have nonproliferation advantages by reducing plutonium production, limiting access to the reactor core, reusing spent fuel and decreasing the need for uranium enrichment, or simply requiring less fuel. These features, paired with smart institutional guardrails, can help reduce security and proliferation risks and make these technologies more attractive to overseas markets. Ultimately, a robust presence in international markets will be required so the US can uphold the highest standards in security and nonproliferation globally.

Time

Don’t nuclear power plants take forever to build?

The US has faced historical challenges with construction timelines for large-scale reactor projects. These challenges have been caused by multiple factors such as regulatory capacity, contractual issues, and supply chain atrophy due to interruptions in build schedules. However, the features that make many advanced reactors more cost-effective would also reduce construction time: factory production of nuclear reactors, smaller-scale plant designs, passive safety systems, and other innovations. Advancements in plant technology and smarter construction approaches stand to make advanced reactors deployable in shorter timelines, and at more consistent reduced costs, than conventional nuclear reactors.