IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v61y2013icp555-564.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Licensing small modular reactors

Author

Listed:
  • Ramana, M.V.
  • Hopkins, Laura Berzak
  • Glaser, Alexander

Abstract

Small modular reactor designs with power levels of less than 300 MWe are being developed in several countries. While there are several potential advantages with these reactors, they are also confronted with multiple challenges. Important among these challenges is to have these new reactor designs licensed by national regulatory bodies. Because of the many novel features incorporated in different SMR (small modular reactor) designs, careful and thorough licensing procedures are critical to maintaining safety of the nuclear fleet. This paper examines how different countries have engaged in the process of licensing new reactor designs, and demonstrates both similarities and differences between countries. In many cases, designers have emphasized the safer design and deployment features of SMRs and attempted to use those features as reasons to get existing licensing requirements diluted. This raises the concern that the promised safety enhancements in SMR designs could be offset by a simultaneous relaxation of licensing requirements.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramana, M.V. & Hopkins, Laura Berzak & Glaser, Alexander, 2013. "Licensing small modular reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 555-564.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:61:y:2013:i:c:p:555-564
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2013.09.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544213007615
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2013.09.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhou, Yun & Rengifo, Christhian & Chen, Peipei & Hinze, Jonathan, 2011. "Is China ready for its nuclear expansion?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 771-781, February.
    2. Yan, Xing L. & Kasahara, Seiji & Tachibana, Yukio & Kunitomi, Kazuhiko, 2012. "Study of a nuclear energy supplied steelmaking system for near-term application," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 154-165.
    3. Thomas, Steve, 2011. "The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor: An obituary," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2431-2440, May.
    4. Vujić, Jasmina & Bergmann, Ryan M. & Škoda, Radek & Miletić, Marija, 2012. "Small modular reactors: Simpler, safer, cheaper?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 288-295.
    5. Vujić, Jasmina & Antić, Dragoljub P. & Vukmirović, Zorka, 2012. "Environmental impact and cost analysis of coal versus nuclear power: The U.S. case," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 31-42.
    6. Grover, R.B. & Chandra, Subhash, 2006. "Scenario for growth of electricity in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(17), pages 2834-2847, November.
    7. Cowan, Robin, 1990. "Nuclear Power Reactors: A Study in Technological Lock-in," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(3), pages 541-567, September.
    8. Bredimas, Alexandre & Nuttall, William J., 2008. "An international comparison of regulatory organizations and licensing procedures for new nuclear power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 1344-1354, April.
    9. Kozier, K.S., 1991. "The nuclear battery: A very small reactor power supply for remote locations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 583-591.
    10. Michanek, Gabriel & Söderholm, Patrik, 2009. "Licensing of nuclear power plants: The case of Sweden in an international comparison," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 4086-4097, October.
    11. Dittmar, Michael, 2012. "Nuclear energy: Status and future limitations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 35-40.
    12. Ramana, M.V. & Saikawa, Eri, 2011. "Choosing a standard reactor: International competition and domestic politics in Chinese nuclear policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 6779-6789.
    13. Zhou, Sheng & Zhang, Xiliang, 2010. "Nuclear energy development in China: A study of opportunities and challenges," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 4282-4288.
    14. General atomics, & Bechtel national, inc,, 1991. "MHTGR desalination for Southern California," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 593-610.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elaheh Shobeiri & Filippo Genco & Daniel Hoornweg & Akira Tokuhiro, 2023. "Small Modular Reactor Deployment and Obstacles to Be Overcome," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Ahmad, Ali & Ramana, M.V., 2014. "Too costly to matter: Economics of nuclear power for Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 682-694.
    3. Haneklaus, Nils & Schröders, Sarah & Zheng, Yanhua & Allelein, Hans-Josef, 2017. "Economic evaluation of flameless phosphate rock calcination with concentrated solar power and high temperature reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(P1), pages 1148-1157.
    4. Mignacca, Benito & Locatelli, Giorgio & Sainati, Tristano, 2020. "Deeds not words: Barriers and remedies for Small Modular nuclear Reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    5. Vegel, Benjamin & Quinn, Jason C., 2017. "Economic evaluation of small modular nuclear reactors and the complications of regulatory fee structures," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 395-403.
    6. Carless, Travis S. & Talabi, Sola M. & Fischbeck, Paul S., 2019. "Risk and regulatory considerations for small modular reactor emergency planning zones based on passive decontamination potential," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 740-756.
    7. Alonso, Gustavo & Bilbao, Sama & Valle, Edmundo del, 2016. "Economic competitiveness of small modular reactors versus coal and combined cycle plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(P1), pages 867-879.
    8. Iyer, Gokul & Hultman, Nathan & Fetter, Steve & Kim, Son H., 2014. "Implications of small modular reactors for climate change mitigation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 144-154.
    9. Froese, Sarah & Kunz, Nadja C. & Ramana, M.V., 2020. "Too small to be viable? The potential market for small modular reactors in mining and remote communities in Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    10. Dong, Zhe & Liu, Miao & Zhang, Zuoyi & Dong, Yujie & Huang, Xiaojin, 2019. "Automatic generation control for the flexible operation of multimodular high temperature gas-cooled reactor plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 11-31.
    11. Frederik Reitsma & Peter Woods & Martin Fairclough & Yongjin Kim & Harikrishnan Tulsidas & Luis Lopez & Yanhua Zheng & Ahmed Hussein & Gerd Brinkmann & Nils Haneklaus & Anand Rao Kacham & Tumuluri Sre, 2018. "On the Sustainability and Progress of Energy Neutral Mineral Processing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, January.
    12. Seyed Ali Hosseini & Reza Akbari & Amir Saeed Shirani & Francesco D’Auria, 2023. "Small Modular Reactors Licensing Process Based on BEPU Approach: Status and Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    13. Gangyang, Zheng & Xianke, Peng & Xiaozhen, Li & Yexi, Kang & Xiangeng, Zhao, 2021. "Research on the standardization strategy of China's nuclear industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas, Steve, 2017. "China's nuclear export drive: Trojan Horse or Marshall Plan?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 683-691.
    2. García, Lázaro & González, Daniel & García, Carlos & García, Laura & Brayner, Carlos, 2013. "Efficiency of the sulfur–iodine thermochemical water splitting process for hydrogen production based on ADS (accelerator driven system)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 469-477.
    3. Chi, Cheryl S.F. & Chen, Ling, 2012. "The sources of divergent practices in China's nuclear power sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 348-357.
    4. Valentine, Scott Victor, 2014. "The socio-political economy of electricity generation in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 416-429.
    5. Roh, Seungkook & Choi, Jae Young & Chang, Soon Heung, 2019. "Modeling of nuclear power plant export competitiveness and its implications: The case of Korea," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 157-169.
    6. Ridoan Karim & Mohammad Ershadul Karim & Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki & Siti Hawa Abu-Bakar & Nurul Aini Bani & Abu Bakar Munir & Ahmed Imran Kabir & Jorge Alfredo Ardila-Rey & Abdullahi Abubakar Mas’ud, 2018. "Nuclear Energy Development in Bangladesh: A Study of Opportunities and Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-15, June.
    7. Yang, Min & Liu, Qi & Zhao, Hongsheng & Li, Ziqiang & Liu, Bing & Li, Xingdong & Meng, Fanyong, 2014. "Automatic X-ray inspection for escaped coated particles in spherical fuel elements of high temperature gas-cooled reactor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 385-398.
    8. Hong, Sanghyun & Bradshaw, Corey J.A. & Brook, Barry W., 2015. "Global zero-carbon energy pathways using viable mixes of nuclear and renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 451-459.
    9. Gangyang, Zheng & Xianke, Peng & Xiaozhen, Li & Yexi, Kang & Xiangeng, Zhao, 2021. "Research on the standardization strategy of China's nuclear industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    10. Ramana, M.V. & Saikawa, Eri, 2011. "Choosing a standard reactor: International competition and domestic politics in Chinese nuclear policy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 6779-6789.
    11. Sun, Chuanwang & Zhu, Xiting & Meng, Xiaochun, 2016. "Post-Fukushima public acceptance on resuming the nuclear power program in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 685-694.
    12. Hultman, Nathan E. & Malone, Elizabeth L. & Runci, Paul & Carlock, Gregory & Anderson, Kate L., 2012. "Factors in low-carbon energy transformations: Comparing nuclear and bioenergy in Brazil, Sweden, and the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 131-146.
    13. Diaz-Maurin, François & Giampietro, Mario, 2013. "A “Grammar” for assessing the performance of power-supply systems: Comparing nuclear energy to fossil energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 162-177.
    14. Iyer, Gokul & Hultman, Nathan & Fetter, Steve & Kim, Son H., 2014. "Implications of small modular reactors for climate change mitigation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 144-154.
    15. Ren, Jingzheng & Gao, Suzhao & Tan, Shiyu & Dong, Lichun, 2015. "Hydrogen economy in China: Strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats analysis and strategies prioritization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1230-1243.
    16. Elaheh Shobeiri & Filippo Genco & Daniel Hoornweg & Akira Tokuhiro, 2023. "Small Modular Reactor Deployment and Obstacles to Be Overcome," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-19, April.
    17. Aliyu, Abubakar Sadiq & Ramli, Ahmad Termizi & Saleh, Muneer Aziz, 2013. "Nigeria electricity crisis: Power generation capacity expansion and environmental ramifications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 354-367.
    18. Ahmad, Ali & Ramana, M.V., 2014. "Too costly to matter: Economics of nuclear power for Saudi Arabia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 682-694.
    19. Ming, Zeng & Yingxin, Liu & Shaojie, Ouyang & Hui, Shi & Chunxue, Li, 2016. "Nuclear energy in the Post-Fukushima Era: Research on the developments of the Chinese and worldwide nuclear power industries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 147-156.
    20. Guo, Xiaopeng & Guo, Xiaodan, 2016. "Nuclear power development in China after the restart of new nuclear construction and approval: A system dynamics analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 999-1007.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:61:y:2013:i:c:p:555-564. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.