Puerto Rico considers nuclear power

• 3 years ago (2020-05-28)
• David Flin

Latin America 75 Nuclear 639

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The Nuclear Alternative Project (NAP) has published a report, a Preliminary Feasibility Study for Small Modular Reactors and Microreactors for Puerto Rico. The study was prepared for the US Department of Energy (DOE).

Puerto Rico currently generates 98 per cent of its electricity from imported fossil fuels. Its ageing power plants, built in the late 1960s, suffer frequent blackouts. In 2018, the country’s legislature passed a bill calling for an investigation into the possibility of building nuclear power plants.

A site suitability analysis indicated that development of advanced nuclear reactors in Puerto Rico is feasible. NAP said a follow-up second phase study would evaluate the general site suitability for SMRs and microreactors for specific regions. The results of the study will be formally submitted to the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau (PREB) as part of the public comment for the ongoing process to develop the country’s Integrated Resources Plan (IRP).

The study found that the proposed high reliance on renewables necessitates sufficient baseload capacity to support the power demand. Only nuclear reactors can complement the intermittency of renewable power sources with zero-emission baseload power generation.

The study considered five SMR technologies: the NuScale SMR, X-energy ’s Xe-100 SMR, GE Hitachi ’s BWRX-300, Westinghouse ’s eVinci, and X-energy’s Remote Resilient Module (RRM). The study said: “The SMR technologies discussed in this report are capable of addressing issues of baseload capacity, load-following, and grid stability."