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Baby Nuclear Reactors (1 Viewer)

Allan

Allan

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Ontario is building small nuclear reactors for electricity generation. These are smaller, safer and less expensive than the behemoths that we're used to.

Premier Doug Ford's government has given Ontario Power Generation the green light to start construction on Canada's first small modular reactor, a new nuclear energy technology to be built next door to the Darlington power plant.

The small modular reactor (SMR) would provide 300 megawatts of power, enough electricity to supply about 300,000 homes, at an estimated construction cost of $7.7 billion, according to briefing documents from Ontario's Ministry of Energy and Mines.
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Allan said:
Ontario is building small nuclear reactors for electricity generation. These are smaller, safer and less expensive than the behemoths that we're used to.



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I've wondered about this. A nuclear plant like the size that drives an aircraft carrier should power a medium size town, shouldn't it?
Small, local power just makes sense, more so than huge central facilities with a network of power lines running hundreds of miles all over the country.
 
Allan said:
Ontario is building small nuclear reactors for electricity generation. These are smaller, safer and less expensive than the behemoths that we're used to.
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I like the big boys.
 
Allan said:
Ontario is building small nuclear reactors for electricity generation. These are smaller, safer and less expensive than the behemoths that we're used to.



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This is very cool.

Nice little side benefit, since we're the first country to implement this, the companies producing parts, the vast majority of which are located in Ontario, will be the natural choice to supply other countries looking to build these as well, as we'll be the most experienced with this technology.

The officials say the Canadian companies involved in the project will have the potential to export components to other countries that decide to build this type of SMR.
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Elbows up. ;)
 
Phys251 said:
Interesting! I wonder how this cost-per-megawatt compares to larger nuclear reactors.
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Got this off of GPT for you:

what is the average cost per megawatt for a large nuclear reactor

ChatGPT said:​

The average cost per megawatt (MW) for a large nuclear reactor can vary significantly depending on the country, technology, and regulatory environment. However, a general estimate based on recent projects is:

💡 Average cost per megawatt:​

  • $6 million to $12 million per MW

🏗️ Example:​

A typical large-scale nuclear power plant like a 1,100 MW AP1000 or EPR reactor:
  • Total cost: $6.6 billion to $13.2 billion

Factors that influence the cost:​

  1. Regulatory and licensing delays (especially in the U.S. and Europe)
  2. Construction timeline (nuclear projects often run over schedule)
  3. Labor and materials (especially for safety-grade systems)
  4. Technology (Gen III+ vs Gen IV, SMRs vs large PWRs)
  5. Location (some countries have more experience or government support)
In contrast, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are projected to cost $4M to $8M per MW, though few are operational yet.
 
OlNate said:
This is very cool.

Nice little side benefit, since we're the first country to implement this, the companies producing parts, the vast majority of which are located in Ontario, will be the natural choice to supply other countries looking to build these as well, as we'll be the most experienced with this technology.



Elbows up. ;)
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Kinda like those old Candu reactors?
"Here, let us build you this nice, simple little nuclear power plant for a bargain price. And we being one of the world's biggest suppliers of uranium..."
 
OlNate said:
Got this off of GPT for you:

what is the average cost per megawatt for a large nuclear reactor

ChatGPT said:​

The average cost per megawatt (MW) for a large nuclear reactor can vary significantly depending on the country, technology, and regulatory environment. However, a general estimate based on recent projects is:

💡 Average cost per megawatt:​

  • $6 million to $12 million per MW

🏗️ Example:​

A typical large-scale nuclear power plant like a 1,100 MW AP1000 or EPR reactor:
  • Total cost: $6.6 billion to $13.2 billion

Factors that influence the cost:​

  1. Regulatory and licensing delays (especially in the U.S. and Europe)
  2. Construction timeline (nuclear projects often run over schedule)
  3. Labor and materials (especially for safety-grade systems)
  4. Technology (Gen III+ vs Gen IV, SMRs vs large PWRs)
  5. Location (some countries have more experience or government support)
In contrast, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are projected to cost $4M to $8M per MW, though few are operational yet.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

Crunching the numbers in the OP, that's $25.7 million/MW. Am I missing something here? Exchange rate?
 
Phys251 said:
Interesting! I wonder how this cost-per-megawatt compares to larger nuclear reactors.
Click to expand...
The expected cost for this would result in electricity cost of about 14.9 cents per kilowatt hour

10 - 15 cents per kwh is the range of currently operating plants.
 
Grand Mal said:
Kinda like those old Candu reactors?
"Here, let us build you this nice, simple little nuclear power plant for a bargain price. And we being one of the world's biggest suppliers of uranium..."
Click to expand...
There are 30 Candu reactors operating in the world, 19 of which are in Canada.
 
Grand Mal said:
I've wondered about this. A nuclear plant like the size that drives an aircraft carrier should power a medium size town, shouldn't it?
Small, local power just makes sense, more so than huge central facilities with a network of power lines running hundreds of miles all over the country.
Click to expand...
The only downside to numerous small nuclear plants vs 1 large plant would be the larger trained staff needed for operation, a lot of specialized training
and knowledge.
 
Phys251 said:
Thanks for the info.

Crunching the numbers in the OP, that's $25.7 million/MW. Am I missing something here? Exchange rate?
Click to expand...

haha...sorry, bud, I honestly have no idea. It was a quick search and that's what it came up with.

Possible explanation could be that I asked for average costs, and there may be higher costs associated with this particular plant. And yes, exchange would also factor in.

Still, that seems like quite the jump, soo... I'd probably do a deeper dive if really interested.
 
911Sparky said:
The only downside to numerous small nuclear plants vs 1 large plant would be the larger trained staff needed for operation, a lot of specialized training
and knowledge.
Click to expand...

I'd be surprised if a lot of it wasn't automated, you could likely centralize monitoring, administration, HR, etc, and have small crews either onsite, or mobile.

That's just a guess, but it seems like it would align with today's design considerations and organizational structure.
 
911Sparky said:
The only downside to numerous small nuclear plants vs 1 large plant would be the larger trained staff needed for operation, a lot of specialized training
and knowledge.
Click to expand...
Well, ex-military fit into lots of technical slots. There might be a few nuke techs out there who would take a prestigious, well-paid job in a smaller town.
 
We're way overdue for some innovation with nuclear.

I hope they are moving toward Thorium reactors.

Gonna be a big NIMBY issue in the US if it ever gets down here, with our magical thinking.
 
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