Is the future of nuclear power in minireactors?

NPR : The expense of building a nuclear power plant is daunting. “Modular” or “mini” reactors could be an answer, writes Christopher Joyce for NPR. The smallest of them could fit into a two-car garage instead of taking up a city block, and rather than duplicating the structure of large reactors, minireactors have a completely different design. Large-scale reactors circulate water to the reactor core via pipes, pumps, and valves; if the water stops moving for any reason—for example, due to power failure—there’s a risk of a meltdown as fuel overheats. Jose Reyes, with NuScale Power, has designed a minireactor without pumps. Water circulates through the system as it heats and then cools off; the reactor is enclosed in a tank of water that is designed to flood the entire system in the event of an emergency. The reactors could be much less expensive and faster to build, given adequate production volume. NuScale and Babcock and Wilcox, another reactor builder, have asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to approve their minireactor designs for commercial use.