To revive the nuclear power industry, the United States is seeking more support in terms of policy and regulatory mechanisms.
▲Vogtler Nuclear Power Plant. Georgia Power Company's official website/photo
Recently, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass the ADVANCE Act, paving the way for large-scale construction of new nuclear power plants and the commercialization of new nuclear power technologies. Since the U.S. House of Representatives has previously voted to approve the proposal, known as the "nuclear power renaissance" bill, the bill now only needs to be signed by the U.S. president before it can officially take effect.
Over the years, budget overruns and schedule delays have become an "unbearable burden" for the U.S. nuclear power industry, and the U.S. has sought more support in terms of policy and regulatory mechanisms in order to revive the declining nuclear power industry.
Streamline the process and set up rewards
CNN pointed out that the "nuclear renaissance" bill is a bill that has little bipartisan disagreement in the United States in recent years, with Democrats arguing that nuclear power is essential to reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change, while Republicans believe that nuclear power is a way to ensure reliable power supply and create jobs.
It is understood that the "ADVANCE Act" aims to reduce the regulatory cost of nuclear power developers by simplifying the approval process, including cutting fees and speeding up the approval time, and promote the development of small modular nuclear reactors. This means that it will be easier and faster to apply for new nuclear power projects in the United States. In addition, the ADVANCE Act creates incentives for developers to deploy next-generation nuclear power technologies and streamlines the licensing process for the construction of nuclear power facilities at certain locations.
Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives said that the U.S. needs to deploy more nuclear power capacity more quickly to meet the rapidly growing energy demand, whether it is the construction of traditional nuclear reactors or the research and development of a new generation of nuclear power technology, the ADVANCE Act will give more encouragement and support.
Senator Tom Carper, Democrat, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said: "The passage of the ADVANCE Act by both houses is another major victory for U.S. climate and energy security. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said: "We must face up to the importance of nuclear energy to the future of the United States. ”
There are currently no nuclear power plants under construction in the United States
In fact, whether it is design and R&D and mechanism innovation, or industrial chain construction and talent training, the U.S. nuclear power industry is continuing to regress.
The U.S. Foundation for Information Technology and Innovation pointed out that the United States is seriously lagging behind in the development of new advanced nuclear power technology, and needs to take nuclear power technology research more seriously. U.S. nuclear power construction has practically come to a standstill. At present, almost all of the nuclear power units in operation in the United States were built between 1970 and 1980, and only two have been started since the beginning of the 21st century.
In July last year, Unit 3 of the Vogtler Nuclear Power Plant in Georgia was officially connected to the grid for power generation, which is the first new nuclear power unit in the United States in more than 30 years and the first nuclear power unit connected to the grid for power generation in seven years. In April this year, Unit 4 of the Vogtler Nuclear Power Plant began operation, marking the completion of the Vogtler Nuclear Power Plant expansion project.
The Associated Press pointed out that with the successive commissioning of units 3 and 4 of the Vogtler nuclear power plant, there are no nuclear power plants under construction in the United States, and the Vogtler nuclear power plant has become the only commercial nuclear power project launched and continuously implemented in the United States since 2000.
In May this year, the White House issued a document saying that the United States would form a nuclear power project management and delivery task force to help reduce the risk of nuclear power project costs and management schedule lags. The United States has recognized the importance of existing nuclear power units and the continued construction of large nuclear power plants, and is taking steps to reduce the project risks associated with the construction of large nuclear power plants, including extending the operation of existing nuclear power plants, demonstrating and deploying advanced nuclear power technologies, simplifying the licensing process for new nuclear power plant projects, and promoting the development of enriched uranium supply chains.
Promote the commercialization of new nuclear power technologies
Industry insiders believe that the "ADVANCE Act" will promote the development of new nuclear power technology in the United States from research and development to commercialization, and the American nuclear energy innovation technology company TerraPower's $4 billion Natrium nuclear power plant in Wyoming will be the first beneficiary. Currently, the plant is experiencing difficulties in obtaining critical permits.
TerraPower submitted its application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March for the construction of the Natrium nuclear power plant, the first commercial advanced reactor application received by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in more than 40 years, but it has not been approved as of the end of June.
It is understood that the Natrium nuclear power plant broke ground in early June this year, because no construction permit was obtained, and only the construction of the non-nuclear island was started. The Natrium nuclear power plant is designed to generate 345 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 250,000 households, and can be increased to 500 megawatts during peak demand, and is expected to be operational as early as 2030.
Bill Gates, chairman of TerraPower and founder of Microsoft, said that nuclear power, as a clean and efficient form of energy, is a viable option to meet the energy needs of the digital and intelligent era. Nuclear power can provide a continuous and stable large-scale power supply, which meets the power demand required for artificial intelligence calculations.
Briana Kobor, head of innovation at Google's energy market, also stressed that relying solely on existing renewable energy sources cannot fully meet the energy needs of future AI technology development. As a result, Google is also considering venturing into nuclear power, especially next-generation nuclear power technology, to ensure the continuous power supply needs of its huge data centers.
The New York Times pointed out that the Natrium nuclear power plant uses liquid sodium as a coolant, which is different from traditional water-cooled reactors, reducing the risk of overheating and producing more stable energy. Theoretically, the Natrium nuclear power plant will be built in a shorter time, with lower operating costs and will not produce carbon dioxide when generating electricity, but there is still a major operational challenge at the operational level, which is the need for high-purity, low-enriched uranium Haleu.
Currently, Rosatom's subsidiary, Tenex, is the only company in the world that can commercially sell Haleu, a uranium fuel that can power a new generation of more efficient small, modular reactors. "Small modular reactors require more Haleu than conventional reactors." Chris Gadomsky, a nuclear energy analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said, "As of now, Russia is the only source. ”
Text丨Reporter Wang Lin
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Editor丨Yang Xiaoran