Context:
Nuclear energy plays a crucial role in the global energy mix as it awaits the development and advancement of other renewable energy technologies, while fossil fuel sources, particularly coal, remain relevant and more affordable. It is in this context that the Indian government plans to collaborate with the private sector to research and test small modular reactors (SMRs).
Relevance:
- GS1- Mineral and Energy Resources, Mobilization of Resources
- GS3-Nuclear Technology, Environmental Conservation
Mains Question:
What advantages do small modular reactors offer in comparison to the traditional nuclear power reactors? Also discuss the challenges associated with SMRs and highlight the way forward strategy to overcome them? (15 Marks, 250 Words).
Proliferation Resistance:
Proliferation resistance is a characteristic of a nuclear energy system that prevents the diversion or undeclared production of nuclear material, or the misuse of technology, by states to acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines proliferation resistance in this way.
About Small Modular Reactors (SMRs):
- Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.
- SMRs can produce a significant amount of low-carbon electricity and are characterized by the following features:
- Small: They are physically much smaller than conventional nuclear power reactors.
- Modular: Their systems and components can be factory-assembled and transported as a unit to the installation site.
- Reactors: They use nuclear fission to generate heat and produce energy.
- SMRs are designed with enhanced safety features to minimize the risk of uncontrolled radioactive material release.
- They are intended to operate for 40-60 years with capacity factors exceeding 90%.
Significance of SMRs:
- Nuclear power provides a high and sustainable energy output, despite the added complexities of building safe and reliable reactors and managing spent nuclear fuel.
- Cost and time overruns, sometimes doubling from initial project estimates, are not uncommon.
- Consequently, the nuclear power tariff is higher for newer facilities, even though they fill gaps left by renewable sources.
- SMRs, ranging from 10 MWe to 300 MWe, are smaller versions of traditional reactors.
- They aim to enhance safety without sacrificing commercial viability by utilizing the higher energy content of nuclear fuel, a modular design, a smaller operational footprint, and reduced capital costs.
- Many of the benefits of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are inherently tied to their small and modular design.
- Their smaller footprint allows them to be located in areas unsuitable for larger nuclear power plants.
- Prefabricated SMR units can be manufactured and then transported and installed on-site, making them more cost-effective to build than large power reactors, which are often custom-designed for specific locations and can face construction delays.
- SMRs offer savings in cost and construction time and can be deployed incrementally to meet growing energy demand.
- In areas with insufficient transmission lines and grid capacity, SMRs can be integrated into an existing grid or used off-grid due to their smaller electrical output, providing low-carbon power for industry and communities.
- Compared to existing reactors, proposed SMR designs are generally simpler, with safety concepts often relying on passive systems and inherent safety features such as low power and operating pressure.
- This means no human intervention or external power is needed to shut down systems, as passive systems rely on physical phenomena like natural circulation, convection, gravity, and self-pressurization.
- These increased safety margins can significantly reduce or eliminate the risk of radioactive releases to the environment and public in the event of an accident.
- SMRs have reduced fuel requirements. SMR-based power plants may need refueling less frequently, every 3 to 7 years, compared to every 1 to 2 years for conventional plants. Some SMRs are designed to operate for up to 30 years without refueling.
Challenges Associated:
- However, the challenge is to manage the external costs associated with SMRs.
- The government’s privatization of nuclear power generation will also heighten the need for regulatory safeguards to prevent radioactive material from being diverted for military purposes.
- The first generation of SMRs is expected to use low-enriched uranium in facilities assembled on-site with factory-made parts, producing waste that can be managed with existing technologies and generating power that can be sold at economical rates.
- However, these reactors will require frequent refueling and will produce a significant amount of plutonium, both of which will challenge proliferation resistance.
- The IAEA has advocated for the use of reactor designs that can be safeguarded, but such solutions will increase capital costs.
- Future generations of SMRs may require more enriched uranium, especially if they aim for longer continuous generation periods, or more advanced systems to improve fuel-use efficiency, which would increase the operational footprint and the cost of generation.
- In fact, nuclear reactors have fixed baseline cost and safety expectations that do not change with energy output, meaning SMR-based tariffs may not automatically be lower. This is why the Department of Atomic Energy increased its reactors’ capacity from 220 MW to 700 MW.
Conclusion:
The ability of SMRs to enhance the prospects of nuclear power in India will therefore depend on their commercial viability, which in turn relies on less uncertain market conditions, stable grids, opportunities to mass-produce parts, and the cost of proliferation resistance.
