The first mini-reactor approved in the US: it can be built next to the house

The US Department of Energy said the modular reactor project provides a new

an environmentally friendly source of energy thatwill help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is the seventh nuclear reactor design approved for use in the United States. But the rest were intended for traditional, large and light water reactors.

Now even small companies planninguse a nuclear power plant, can choose the 50 MW Advanced Light Water Small Modular Nuclear Reactor design from Oregon-based NuScale Power. 

Diane Hughes, NuScale VP of Marketingand Communications, said the project certification is a historic step forward towards a clean energy future and makes the VOYGR power plant a deployment-ready solution for customers. Hughes added that the first application package for the design of small modular reactors included more than 2 million pages of supporting materials.

VOYGR Mini Reactor Device

However, David Schlissel of the Institute of EconomicsEnergy and Financial Analysis in Ohio expressed concerns about costs. Schlissel, who has studied the history of nuclear power and the finances of the NuScale project, expects reactor costs to rise, which could limit the number of NuScale reactors built. He also said that he considers them uncompetitive in price compared to renewable energy sources and batteries.

Hughes, in turn, believes that energyprojects like wind and solar power plants have seen their costs increase due to changing financial market dynamics, rising interest rates and inflationary pressures on the sector's supply chain not seen in decades. She added that the VOYGR power plant remains a cost-competitive project, as well as a reliable, affordable source of carbon-free energy.

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