Will Virginia build a small modular reactor?

No small modular reactor — about a third the size of a traditional nuclear reactor — currently exists in the U.S., although a few states, including Tennessee, are working toward building one. Youngkin vowed in October that Virginia will be the first state to deploy a commercial small modular reactor, and he wants to put it in Southwest Virginia.

What is a small modular reactor?

Small modular reactors have a power output of less than 300 MWe. The term “modular” in the context of SMRs refers to its scalability and to the ability to fabricate major components of the nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) in a factory environment and then transported them to the site. Key characteristics:

Are small modular reactors disrupting conventional notions of nuclear power?

Credit: NuScale Small modular reactors (SMRs) are disrupting conventional notions surrounding nuclear power.

Who is certifying a small modular reactor?

A number of small modular reactor designs are in the works, but Oregon-based NuScale Power is the first and only company whose design has been approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In late July, the NRC approved a final rule to fully certify the design, and publishing that rule is in its final stages. Rex Geveden.

Are Amazon & Dominion Energy collaborating on a small modular reactor?

Both companies detailed their joint efforts to explore innovative methods for developing and financing small modular reactors. Amazon and Dominion Energy have agreed to explore the advancement of SMR nuclear technology in Virginia. Credit: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.

Where is Poland's first small modular reactor based?

A newcomer in the nuclear technology market, Poland chose Portland, Oregon–based NuScale to develop and construct the country’s first small modular reactor. The historic agreement comes on the heels of an ambitious multi-nation decarbonization plan signed in Glasgow last November by 28 new members of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA).