SMRs

Report explores use cases for advanced nuclear energy

The report offers an overview of potential alternative use cases for advanced nuclear energy, highlighting considerations and questions for state utility regulators and state energy offices.
Report explores use cases for advanced nuclear energy
(NuScale's VOYGR SMR. Image credit: NuScale)

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials, has released a new report, Energy and Industrial Use Cases for Advanced Nuclear Reactors.

The report offers an overview of potential alternative use cases for advanced nuclear energy, highlighting considerations and questions for state utility regulators and state energy offices.

Advanced nuclear energy is gaining momentum as a key component of state energy strategies, NARUC said, with “significant” project growth anticipated over the next decade. Public utility commissions and state energy offices play a critical role in facilitating the development and integration of these initiatives.

“Advanced nuclear technology is poised to be a transformative force in our energy landscape,” said Commissioner Nick Myers of the Arizona Corporation Commission and vice chair of the NARUC Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues-Waste Disposal. “This new report is a timely resource as we explore how these reactors can be utilized not only for generating electricity but also for various industrial applications. By providing a detailed analysis of potential use cases, the report equips state officials with the knowledge needed to support and guide the integration of advanced nuclear energy into our broader energy strategies.”

Although advanced nuclear is a newer form of energy production under consideration, various states have already begun preparing for advanced reactors by developing reports and forming working groups to address state-level considerations for advanced reactor technology. The preliminary plans under development by states emphasize the need to understand advanced nuclear applications, both in the power sector and more broadly, and concurrently examine state-specific opportunities.

“This report outlines the key attributes that could make advanced reactors attractive for use cases in addition to conventional electricity generation. These attributes include their safety profile, ability to produce high temperatures, flexible output, modular construction, unit size and capabilities for ramping and black start,” said NARUC Center for Partnerships & Innovation Senior Director Danielle Sass Byrnett. “NARUC identified ten use cases that could be appropriate based on the key attributes, which will provide value for states as they explore innovative ways to incorporate advanced nuclear into their energy portfolios.”

The report was produced under the NARUC-NASEO Advanced Nuclear State Collaborative, an initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-NARUC Nuclear Energy Partnership.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) refers to non-light water reactor designs as “advanced reactors.” These reactors will use different technologies from existing operating reactors such as passive safety features, using different fuel or coolant, or scaling the entire reactor smaller.

There are more than three dozen working designs for small modular reactors and microreactors, some of which have goals to be commercially operable by 2030. Proponents say these smaller advanced reactors offer cheaper and faster build times. However, this promise has yet to be fully tested.

The U.S. remains the world’s leader in nuclear energy output, but could be up to 15 years behind China in rolling out next-generation reactors, according to a report from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a nonpartisan research institute.

In May, the White House announced significant new steps to support new nuclear power plants in the U.S., including the creation of a “Power Project Management and Delivery working group” made up of experts that would help identify opportunities to proactively mitigate sources of cost and schedule overrun risk.

In June, the U.S. Senate passed legislation aimed at accelerating advanced nuclear deployments, after a similar action by the House in May. The ‘‘Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024,” or ADVANCE Act, aims to speed up permitting and create new incentives for the buildout of advanced reactors. The ADVANCE Act directs the NRC to find ways to speed up its licensing process for new nuclear technology. The legislation would also reduce regulatory costs for companies seeking to license these new reactor technologies, as well as direct the NRC to enhance its ability to qualify and license accident-tolerant fuels and advanced nuclear fuels. President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law.

The full report is available here.