Politics is Pervading Efforts by the National Labs to Advance Energy

January 21, 209

Ken Silverstein, EnergyBiz Insider, Editor-in-Chief
Respond to the editor: [email protected]

The laboratories all point to nuclear energy's viability as a fuel source,
saying that future reactors will be safer, more cost-effective and highly
efficient. That will give nuclear energy a regulatory advantage and
therefore help such producers raise capital for their projects. Several
nations that include the United States have combined to come up with newer
and better technologies that purport to be safer and more eco-friendly.

"In this country, the infrastructure is privately owned but the government
has to ensure that the nation's long-term interests are served," says John
Grossenbacher, director of the Idaho National Laboratory. "We need to begin
the discussion in those terms. We need to be pragmatic. We can't fall into
the trap of romanticizing or demonizing any energy form. Unfortunately, it's
now extraordinarily politicized."

According to the Edison Electric Institute, energy demand in this country is
expected to increase by 30 percent by 2030. And during this time period,
power generators will be under increasing pressure to limit their greenhouse
gas emissions. Those dynamics would tend to favor nuclear production, which
has increased its average capacity factor from about 70 percent in the 1970s
to 90 percent today.

Uncertain political and economic conditions exist, however. Despite that,
most of the national research laboratories have dedicated themselves to
making nuclear technologies safer and better. The 104 nuclear reactors now
operating here are "second generation" light water facilities, all of which
operate near capacity. So-called "third generation" light water reactors
have been built overseas and particularly in Asia.

Next up: "Fourth generation" reactors, one of which is the Very High
Temperature Reactor. The national labs, funded and guided by the U.S.
Department of Energy, are responsible for conducting research and
development to select an initial design for the modern nuclear reactors and
to do so by 2011. By 2021, these institutions are supposed to have picked a
final design and construction on reactors is expected to begin.

A key difference between the "third generation" and "fourth generation" very
high temperature reactors is that the latter may operate at about three
times the temperature of today's light water reactors, which results in
higher thermal efficiency and the potential for use in industrial
applications and hydrogen production -- making them economically appealing.
Advocates furthermore say that the odds of any leaks are near zero.

"We are watching this evolution," says Adam Cohen, deputy associate
laboratory director for energy sciences and engineering at Argonne National
Laboratory. "France, China, India, South Korea and Russia are hard at work.
The same companies that are building reactors there will also build them
here. We are not waiting for international input. But we are waiting for
economic and political changes to occur."

Right Size Reactors

The International Atomic Energy Agency says nuclear energy now comprises 16
percent of the world's generation mix. It is projecting the use of such
power to grow significantly and mainly in Asia. Meantime, this country's
collective attitude toward nuclear energy is turning. Roughly 17 licensing
applications are under review.

For their part, private nuclear developers must still cope with attracting
financing and burying their radioactive waste. To help, Congress has
authorized $1 billion in tax credits as well as $500 million in insurance to
protect against delays in construction that are directly tied to regulatory
logjams. And, the first six reactors to get built in the 21st Century are
promised millions in loan guarantees.

Lawmakers have also approved of Yucca Mountain in Nevada to be a permanent
repository for nuclear waste. But a series of legal and political obstacles
have worked to postpone those plans. Director Grossenbacher says that in the
near term, developers can safely store nuclear waste on-site in concrete
containers -- an option that would leave open the possibility of later
re-processing that material. Long range, however, the nation will need a
geological repository.

While nuclear energy proponents are optimistic about new reactor designs and
the potential role they might play in producing an increased amount of
electricity, opponents remain vigilant. Those Very High Temperature Reactors
might work well in the lab, they say, but they are unproven as commercial
entities.

Some nuclear researchers say that their attention is targeted on
"right-size" reactors, which are smaller and between 100 megawatts and 300
megawatts. Sandia National Laboratories, for instance, is working with other
nations in which their transmission grids cannot handle larger generation to
implement smaller units that can be used to generate energy and create
potable water.

Once the projects are shown to be feasible, the labs can then take various
components of the smaller facilities and use them to form a larger base-load
facility. That process won't happen overnight. But it is doable in 20 years.
"We do need to prove these smaller reactors if we are to eventually build
new base load generation," says Les Shephard, vice president of energy and
resources at Sandia. "But that demonstration will not be as difficult as
many might think."

At home, the challenges are both political and financial. In any event, the
national labs will keep working. As such, they are developing advanced light
water reactors and helping to design the next generation of nuclear
facilities along with private developers. The combined efforts are making
headway throughout the world and getting implemented in such nations as
China and India.

The ultimate goal is to demonstrate those technologies on a commercial
scale. Barriers exist and the task will be difficult. But researchers and
developers are confident that they will master the critical issues to enable
the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.