{"id":2234,"date":"2023-12-20T21:32:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T22:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shinsori.me\/?p=2234"},"modified":"2023-12-20T23:44:38","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T23:44:38","slug":"nuclear-energy-makes-a-huge-showing-at-worldwide-climate-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shinsori.me\/index.php\/2023\/12\/20\/nuclear-energy-makes-a-huge-showing-at-worldwide-climate-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Nuclear energy makes a huge showing at worldwide climate summit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"United<\/p>\n

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United Nations Climate Chief Simon Stiell, from left, COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber and Hana Al-Hashimi, chief COP28 negotiator for the United Arab Emirates, pose for photos at the end of the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n

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Peter Dejong, Associated Press<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The United States and 21 other countries have their eyes set on nuclear power generation, signing a pledge at a recent global climate conference to triple capacity by 2050.<\/p>\n

U.S. presidential administrations that include Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden have all demonstrated commitment to the development of advanced nuclear reactors, with the U.S. Department of Energy pouring billions into their development. <\/p>\n

The declaration <\/a>was made at the COP28 conference held in Dubai, recognizing that nuclear energy is already the second largest source of clean, dispatchable, baseload power, with benefits for energy security. It also states that a key appeal of nuclear energy is that nuclear technologies would occupy a small land footprint and can be sited where needed, partner well with renewable energy sources, and have additional flexibilities that support decarbonization beyond the power sector.<\/p>\n

In the United States, nuclear power represents 18% of the country\u2019s energy portfolio. Fossil fuels, which include natural gas, coal, petroleum and other gasses, accounts for about 60% and renewables such as solar, wind and hydropower are at 21%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. <\/a><\/p>\n

Signatories to the pledge at COP28 beyond the U.S. include France, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, Finland, Japan, Hungary and Ukraine.<\/p>\n

The daunting cost challenge<\/h3>\n

The planned NuScale small modular reactor plant at Idaho National Laboratory, which would have served some Utah customers, was recently scrapped due to costs. Potential subscribers mutually agreed that it had just become too untenable due to the price of energy that would have been delivered.<\/p>\n

The Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems had put money in the effort to develop what was deemed the Carbon Free Power Project. <\/a>It was years in the making and to NuScale\u2019s credit, it was the first of its kind to receive design certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. <\/p>\n

But it was a rigorous, arduous and lengthy process that ultimately ended up with the cancellation of the project located just a few hours north of Salt Lake City. One of the biggest hurdles to licensing \u201csmall\u201d nuclear is that this is new technology for which the NRC does not have a regulatory blueprint designed for this next-generation technology \u2014 and there are myriad of designs they have to grapple with. <\/p>\n

UAMPS pursued nuclear to secure a strong portfolio of energy sources. It already has investments in wind and solar, and with the pressure to accelerate the retirement of coal-fired power plants, it wanted to solidify its energy future.<\/p>\n

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A rendering of NuScale Power\u2019s small modular reactor nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n

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NuScale Power<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

But being first is not necessarily being the most viable because NuScale shouldered the burden of proving to the world it could come up with a financially scaleable and appealing power source with technology that critics still question.<\/p>\n

While a blow the U.S., NuScale <\/a>has not abandoned its plans to pursue the adoption of its small modular reactor technology elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Even though the Carbon Free Power Project is on hold, as UAMPS likes to emphasize, NuScale Power has signed 19 active domestic and international agreements to deploy SMR plants in 12 different countries, including Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Jordan.<\/p>\n

The Carbon Free Power Project envisioned six modulars cooled by a pressurized loop of water to deliver 77 megawatts each to produce a combined 462 megawatt hours of electricity per year. <\/p>\n

While it may be shelved, UAMPS chief executive officer and general manager Mason Baker told the Deseret News recently that the Carbon Free Power Project will not be permanently discarded to a back room to gather dust. It just needs time to become fiscally feasible.<\/p>\n

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