SMR – Facts and Myths in Light of Energy Transition of CR

Jiří Duspiva

Manager for Business Development / R&D Expert

Centrum výzkumu Řež

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Nuclear Days 2024 at WBU in Pilsen

September 13, 2024

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Why SMR – Facts and Myths ?�

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Many news and TV posts publish and repeat a lot of fault information

• Example from Aug 21, 2024 „Does make a sense to build 2 Nuclear units for 1 300 billion CZK?“ �Má smysl postavit dva jaderné bloky za 1300 miliard? - Médium.cz (seznam.cz)
• Price 1 300 billion CZK is without any reference and official references uses 200 billion CZK per unit of overnight cost
• Standard Nuclear unit of 550 MW power has price 700 billion CZK, but SMR will be build very fast with minimal price and power �up to 400 MW
• There is no SMR already built, nobody knows price and construction duration, moreover preparatory works (permissions for siting, construction, operation etc.) last same time with same budget for large and small units
• Why to construct 2 large units if you can build many SMRs for same price (? Which ?) with much higher total power than current �two units approved by government
• Again, there is no reference for already built SMRs in Europe or USA
• SMRs have important benefit in very fast construction, minimum price and can be located close to consumers, causing possibility �to reduce very expensive transmission grids and distribution nets, thus to save their service charges
• Robust transmission grids and distribution nets are important for overall electricity net stability
• Historically, evolution of electricity started with isolated small sources, they were substituted with large ones and connected to common nets – reason?

Economy of electricity production

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Decentralization – ideological reason (mainly for countries like CR with already developed grid)

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Myths about Electricity production

Nuclear is expensive, renewables are cheap – FV has no operation expenses

• Comparison of total investment price – Nuclear including price of money vs. Renewables after reduction by subsidies
• POZE 2013 – 2022* – paid support 269,57 billions CZK, produced 21,57 TWh = 1,35 times production of ETE
• Price with all externalities must be compared
• LCOE must not be representative – takes into account only evaluated sources
• PV or WP requires to build also backup sources for periods without sunshine and windy – this doubled electricity sources must be counted into price of electricity from renewables

PV can be solution of 100% decarbonized electricity

• Visualization approach can confirm such myth – ČEPS MAF

Germany after Nuclear phase-out

• Balance of production and demand comparison – daily �cumulative values
• Same data with hourly cumulative values
• Up to 15 GWe un-production
• Winter demand in CR 12 GWe, Summer only 9 GWe

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Energy is not Electricity only

CR – electricity is only 1/3 of overall energy consumption

• Important consumers from industries, district heating, and transport
• Steel production – current annual energy consumption of 2 TWh – most in fossil
• Change to electrical heating only + 3 TWh
• Substitution of carbon with H2 for iron oxide reduction + 15 TWh

Electrification of steel production in CR only means additional requirements of 18 TWh of stable electricity

• Temelín NPP produces ~16 TWh – 2 large VVER-1000 units with 1050 Mwe
• Most of these 18 TWh will be lost as heat
• What has worse impact to climate - original 2 TWh in fossil or additional 18 TWh released as heat? �(and probably much more, because of thermal efficiency of electricity production)

Eurofert – EU will need in 2050 additional 400 TWh for keeping of steel production at current level

• This is equivalent of ~25 Temelín NPPs

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Ironworks in Frýdlant nad Ostravicí �at the end of the 19th century�(Výroba oceli – Wikipedie (wikipedia.org))

Disadvantages of Nuclear

Safety – practically solved for GIII/GIII+ and GIV reactors

• Mining, chemical, or other industries – dozens of deaths per year – fully acceptable by society
• At least 15 dead and 40 injured in explosion at pharmaceutical factory in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday Aug 21, 2024 �(Nejméně 15 lidí zahynulo při výbuchu v indické továrně - Seznam Zprávy (seznamzpravy.cz))
• Must be kept as highest priority with application of state-of-the-art knowledge

Low thermal efficiency of LWR

• Current LWR has efficiency up to 35% for electricity production
• Possible increase with cogeneration

Radioactive waste production

• LWR-SMR – increased RAW per MWh
• Lower burnup, more other waste (construction materials)
• Requirement from EU Taxonomy, Ch. 4.26 of Delegated Act*: “Pre-commercial�stages of advanced technologies with minimal waste from the fuel cycle”

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* COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2022/1214 of 9 March 2022 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139 as regards economic activities�in certain energy sectors and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178 as regards specific public disclosures for those economic activities

Applicability of Nuclear

Electricity

• Depending on total power in the grid
• Large units
• SMRs

Industry

• Nuclear = stable source
• Large units or SMRs – depending on power and energy potential needs
• Cogeneration (electricity, district heating, H₂, artificial fuels)
• Very perspective for HT and Fast reactors

District heating

• Cogeneration from large or SMRs (LWR or FR)
• Specific SMRs

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The NEA Small Modular Reactor Dashboard, NEA No. 7650, 2023

(https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_78743/the-nea-small-modular-reactor-dashboard?details=true)

Risks of Nuclear

Political stability

• Long term preparation and construction, as well as operation
• Many changes of governments during each of NPP life phases

Legislation

• Changes in legislation cause delays in preparation and construction due to required response in documentation or design

Financing

• Any delays of preparation and construction result in final price increase
• Political impact to price of money (like Taxonomy in EU)

Production capacity

• Technology production (RPV, SG, Pressurizers, Pumps, Turbines …)
• Including material production – steel or other metals (cladding…)
• Fuel production – incl. mining and enrichment (construction boom like triple capacity till 2050 – COP28 in 2023)

Human resources

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Conclusions

Nuclear is the best solution of stable carbon free energy source�with high enough EROI* (? dismantling ?)

COP28 – triple electricity production till 2050

• Is it achievable ?
• This statement relay only to electricity production, but what to do with industry, district heating, transportation etc.?
• Many changes of governments during each of NPP life phases

Short term perspectives

• LWR technology – large units for electricity, SMR for other applications

Long term vision

• Fast reactors can solve issues of RAW reduction and production of high potential heat (industrial applications and increase of thermal efficiency)

Fusion

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Nuclear France has one order less �than „green“ Germany

Decision on EDU II and SMR support is �correct way to decarbonize

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* Energy intensitites, EROI (energy returned on invested), for electric energy sources (epj-conferences.org)

CO₂ emissions per kWh in 2023

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SMR under development in ÚJV Group

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FOAK

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BWRX-300

2028 Darlington (Ca)

2029 Synthos (Pol)

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NuScale (VOYGR)

2029 CFPP (UT),

2029 Doicesti (Rom)� 2029 KGHM (Pol)

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SMR-160 (? 300)

2030 Oyster Creek (NJ)

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UK-SMR (RR)

Early 30’, selection from

5 sites, (2022 GDA)

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NUWARD

2030 start of construction

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SMART

2030+ Saudská Arábie

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Westinghouse SMR (AP300)

? Seal Seeds (UK)

(2024 GDA)

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thank you for your attention

Jiří Duspiva

Centrum výzkumu Řež s.r.o.

jiri.duspiva@cvrez.cz

www.cvrez.cz