Thread by @KarlSpookbuster

Thread on Micro Modular Reactors (MMR).

First the basics :

MMR are 1 to 10 MWe nuclear reactors, conceived for remote communities or mining activities, military bases and heat for industry.

There are few designs to follow. Pictured is the Oklo Company's Aurora Plant :

There around a half dozen companies developing MMR, as the Westinghouse eVinci or USNC MMR.

The first MMRs should be online in 2024.

In Canada, the CNSC is currently evaluating a GFP / OPG plan to install a USNC MMR at CNL's Chalk River Site.

In the US, Oklo has already a site permit to install its first Aurora Plant (1.5 MWe, probably sodium heat pipes cooled) on INL site. The company will ask for a license to the NRC in few weeks, and just got authorization to use fuel enriched to 19,75% (HALEU).

This last feature is important for the company because it will allow an Aurora plant to avoid any refuelling during 20 years of operation.

The Aurora is indeed targeted to power remote communities in the Arctic where costly diesel fired power generation is the norm.

Maybe you wondering what is the market size for such plant in these cold remote regions ? I did an analysis of "Arctic" communities, trying to get a scale of how much MMR could be sold for this purpose.

I can provide methodology and sources if someone need it.

So here are my results for the entire Western Arctic (aka non Russian). I can give the name of every settlements where such plants could be of some interest if needed.

@oklo @caorilne @Atomicrod @6point626

I definitely see that enough units could be sold on this civil market and for the army to allow series economies.
Then this type of reactor could be competitive for lower latitudes uses, like island communities.

If you want to follow these companies developments, here are some Twitter accounts :
@oklo @WECNuclear @UltraSafeNuke @INL @CNL_LNC