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GTM: Why advanced nuclear reactors may be here sooner than many imagine

From GreenTech Media:

Advanced nuclear reactors are moving toward commercialization faster and with less government support than many realize. Their smaller size and advances in computing are helping.

Almost all of the advanced reactors under development in the US are far smaller than traditional LWRs — from 10 to 100 times smaller in both electricity output and physical footprint. Smaller sizes help reduce total funding necessary for the first build, but they can also simplify the engineering, making the reactor safer and easier to model, speeding licensing and commercialization.

Their size also makes advanced reactors more attractive to utilities. Funding a 2-megawatt reactor, for example, is feasible for a much broader range of utilities than a 1,000-megawatt power plant.

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