Are small reactors game changers for the nuclear industry?
Two leading energy announced July 14 they plan to jointly build and sell 125MW small light water reactors as turn-key projects to U.S. utilities and for export. Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) and Bechtel Power have entered into a formal alliance to build small modular reactors (SMR). Customers can add modules to match growth in electricity demand. Jack Futcher, president of Bechtel Power, which has a 20% stake in the alliance, said, “”Nuclear energy is a viable source of energy. SMRs are affordable and scalable. It has a potential to be a real game changer.” The alliance joins the design and fabrication capabilities of B&W with the engineering, procurement, and construction expertise of Bechtel Power. The development takes the potential for commercial deployment of a small reactor closer to reality. It puts the B&W Generation mPower SMR out in front of the competition from other firms like NuScale and Hyperion. The first unit built for a customer could enter revenue service as soon as 2020. Be
