Too late, too expensive, too risky and too uncertain. That, in a nutshell, describes NuScale’s planned small modular reactor project. 🧵(1/9) #nuclear #energytwitter #nuclearcosts
Communities and utilities are being lured to buy electricity from NuScale’s planned #nuclear reactor at the promise of a relatively low price of $58/MWh. But that’s only an estimate—and a flawed one at that. via @pfannyyy (2/9) postregister.com/news/inl/easte…
The #UAMPS power sales agreement for this nuclear project is essentially a blank check. Buyers who stick with the project will be on the hook for the actual costs and expenses of building and operating the reactor, which we predict will far exceed $58/MWh. @SmartEnergy1 (3/9) 
NuScale claims it will be able to complete the #nuclear-related construction quickly and cheaply due to modularization. But this claim has been made by other power companies, and it hasn’t stacked up to reality. via @SmithRebecca (4/9) wsj.com/articles/pre-f…
Georgia Power Company made similar claims about modularization reducing the cost of the Vogtle 3 and 4 #nuclear reactors currently under construction in Georgia. But that project’s cost has increased by 140% since construction began in 2012. (5/9)
https://twitter.com/ieefa_institute/status/1484858657179328512
NuScale claims that the nuclear construction at its first SMR will be completed in less than 36 months. However, other recently built #nuclear plants have taken between 103 and 113 months to complete. (6/9)
NuScale faces an impossible task: its nuclear project must achieve a 95% capacity factor for power to remain cheap. At the same time, it must live up to promises of flexibility. If the project is ramping up and down, it can’t consistently maintain a 95% capacity factor. (7/9)
No matter how you cut it, the price of power from this #nuclear project will be higher—perhaps much higher—than the estimated target price of $58/MWh. And much higher than already existing alternatives from #renewables. (8/9)
More in our latest report from David Schlissel and @djwamsted. (9/9) ieefa.org/smr/
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