I delivered this presentation to the Australian Frontiers in Science conference in late 2012. This presentation makes the case for the important role of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) in the decarbonisation of Australia electricity

1. Decarbonising Australia’s Electricity Supply
The role for small modular nuclear reactors
Ben Heard
Founder – Decarbonise SA
Director – ThinkClimate Consulting

2. The climate change problem actually
looks like this
• Greenhouse gas accumulates
• Temperature forcing builds
• Tipping points are real
• Avoiding dangerous climate change is a zero-sum game
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
4,000,000
tCO2-e
GHG accumulation from Australian electricity sector
1990-2010 (Adapted from AGEIS data)
Carbon Budget

3. We DON’T have a plan
• 5% reduction by 2020?
• 50% reduction by 2050?
– Significant contribution from carbon capture and storage
– Significant contribution from geothermal
– Massive purchases of offsets from fast growing developing economies
• 20% RET?
• First signs of downturn in energy demand?
• High penetration of wind in South Australia?
This all misses the point

4. The pathway matters as much as the
destination
Nuclear mimics fossil – but without the GHG
Selecting “No” guarantees an inferior result

5. Hard barriers to Australian nuclear
High capital and lag on return
If the CEO of, say, Origin Energy said to the board “I’ve got a great idea. Let’s spend
$5bn of the company’s money, for which we will not start seeing a return for at least
5 years” he would be laughed at. In fact he would probably be sacked.
Tony Owen, UCL School of Energy and Resources
Size of single generating unit
• Single load loss of up to 650 MW could be supported by the existing
transmission network in SA (Electranet Annual Planning Report 2012)
Reactor Generating Capacity
Areva NP EPR 1700 MWe
Westinghouse AP1000 1200 MWe
GE Hitachi/Toshiba ABWR 1350 MWe
Gidropress AES-2006 1200 MWe
Korea HNP APR-1400 1450 MWe
Mitsubishi APWR 1500 MWe
GE Hitachi ESBWR 1600 Mwe
Enhanced CANDU6 740 MWe

6. Solutions?
Barrier Solution
Large-up front
capital
Direct capital subsidy
Loan guarantee
Low-cost financing
Lag on return Streamline approvals
Contract all construction with
purchase
Size of single
generating unit
Reinforcement of interconnections
New large demand
S
M
R
OR

7. • Small Modular Reactors
• Ranging in size from approx 25 MWe (nuclear battery!) up to approximately
300MWe
• Several potential technologies
• Light water reactors
• Gas –cooled reactors
• Metal cooled fast reactors
What is SMR?
Steam
Turbine
Generator
Condenser
Containment
Water-Filled
Pool Below
Ground
J. Nylander and M. Cohen
NSSS
Toshiba 10-50MWHyperion 25MWe fast reactor NuScale

8. Why is SMR so powerful?
Production
• Constructed & installed quickly
• Factory built, ship or train to site
• Production line manufacturing
• Avoids bottleneck in ultra-heavy forged
components (two suppliers globally)
• Mitigates need for local skilled labour
Cost
• Reduced up front cost (i.e. approx
$750m for 180MWe)
• Faster flows of revenue
Connection
• Potential for incremental additions
• Same site, same design – simple
approvals
• Direct replacement of existing fossil
generation
Safety
• Passive safety easily achieved
Appeal
• Off-grid baseload potential
• Fit easily into most electricity grids
• Below-grade installations (underground)
• On-site underground waste containment
Sources: US Dept Commerce 2011; Irwin, T.
2012; Cunningham, N. 2012)

9. B&W/Bechtel,
$400M in
development
funding from US
DoE

10. Example application-
decarbonising South Australia
Playford Power Station c 1960
240 Mwe
2009 emissions 1.77 million tCO2-e
Single B&W mPower SMR
180 Mwe
90% capacity factor
3 year refuelling cycle.
60 year design life
Emissions? 0 tCO2-e

11. GEH S-PRISM 311 MWe IFR module
“Study finds waste-fuelled
reactor feasible for UK
The report includes a vote of confidence by
analysts DBD Ltd, which says that in terms
of fuel fabrication, reactor operation, and
fuel storage, there are "no fundamental
impediments" to licensability in the UK
.July 2012 .
Example application - Swapping unwanted
Pu for zero-carbon energy
Fast Breeder Reactor
•Metal fuel
•Liquid metal coolant
•Runs at close to atmospheric pressure
•Full passive safety
•Breeds fissile isotopes from fertile
isotopes i.e turns 99% of nuclear waste
into new fuel and uses it to make energy

12. Proof of Concept?
•Nimitz Class, largest war ship in the world
•Propelled by two General Electric pressurised water reactors driving four
turbines of 194MW.

13. Ben Heard- Director, ThinkClimate Consulting
Founder, Decarbonise SA
W: www.thinkclimateconsulting.com.au
www.decarbonisesa.com
E: ben.heard@thinkclimateconsulting.com.au
@BenThinkClimate
DecarboniseSA
The commercialisation of SMR provides a pathway to greatly
accelerated decarbonisation of fossil-dependent electricity supplies
Conclusion