Dominion, NuScale see Virginia primed to realize nuclear potential

Virginia could be in a prime position to realize the potential for new nuclear technology, particularly small modular reactors, experts said Sept. 15 during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Virginia Renewable Energy Alliance.

"Not only does it give us that system reliability that we need, it can do so economically," said Todd Flowers, director of business development at Dominion Energy Inc.

Flowers noted that small modular reactors, or SMRs, provide many benefits that could be hard for other carbon-free resources to achieve.

"Given the capacity factor of solar and the efficiency of energy storage, you really need to overbuild those systems if you want to deliver 100 MW of energy around-the-clock," Flowers said. "If you compare the levelized cost of energy of deploying that scale of renewable energy and energy storage, SMRs are expected to be very cost-competitive and likely the least-cost option to deliver carbon-free, on-demand energy for our customers."

Flowers added that the perception of nuclear energy and its role in energy security and decarbonization has changed worldwide. "You cannot get to net-zero [emissions] without nuclear," Flowers said.

Setting the stage

NuScale Power Corp. is the first developer to receive standard design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC, for its 50-MW SMR design.

The company has a cost-share agreement with the U.S. Energy Department to build the country's first SMR power plant, the UAMPS Carbon Free Power Project, to be located at Idaho National Laboratory, supplying electricity to Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems. It will consist of six NuScale 77-MW reactor modules, which will require separate NRC approval.

The first module is scheduled to be operational in 2029, and the entire plant is to be operational in 2030.

"NuScale didn't expect to be doing this alone. We expected to be here with multiple other small modular reactor developers," said Scott Rasmussen, NuScale's director of sales. "Some companies are risk averse, so they chose not to join us on that path."

NuScale, however, felt the technology was too important to the energy transition.

"We set the stage. I'm looking for someone else to take the torch and move forward," Rasmussen said.

'Energy dense'

Panelists also pointed to the advantages nuclear energy and SMRs have in siting.

"SMRs and nuclear in general are also very important because they are energy-dense," Jon-Michael Murray, nuclear policy manager for the Clean Air Task Force, said during the virtual discussion. "The amount of land required to produce the same amount of energy with wind or solar [is] orders of magnitude larger."

The operational site for the planned 924-MW NuScale VOYGR-12 Nuclear Power Plant in Romania is less than 100 acres, Rasmussen said.

The sites of operating or retired fossil fuel plants could also serve as sites for newer forms of power generation.

The U.S. Energy Department released a report Sept. 13 that found "157 retired coal plant sites and 237 operating coal plant sites" in the U.S. could host new nuclear power plants.

Dominion is exploring the potential to reuse these brownfield sites, according to Flowers.

"Those coal generating facilities offer a point of interconnection," Flowers said. "They often offer a source of water for cooling. They have a workforce that is ready and willing to transition [to the nuclear field]."

Richmond, Va.-headquartered Dominion also is looking at coal mines and excess land at existing nuclear sites in Virginia for siting new nuclear plants. Dominion owns and operates two large nuclear plants in the state: the North Anna and Surry plants.

"The beauty is that the footprint of these facilities is significantly smaller than your traditional plant," Flowers said. "There's a lot of opportunities to place these in many different locations."

Hydrogen potential

Nuclear energy may also be the best resource for hydrogen production.

Electrolyzers needed to produce hydrogen are "very expensive to build," and companies will want to operate them around-the-clock, Flowers said.

"It's difficult to envision using renewable generation for hydrogen production because you're not going to get around-the-clock energy," Flowers said. "The marriage between SMRs and hydrogen production creates a very unique opportunity."

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden on Aug. 16, includes a $3-per-kilogram tax credit for hydrogen produced by non-carbon emitting power sources like nuclear. The climate package also includes a production tax credit for nuclear, with floor pricing of $40/MWh to $44/MWh.

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