A highly anticipated small nuclear reactor project was expected to be built at the Idaho National Laboratory within two years, but was officially canceled this week after about a decade of work.
The project was viewed as the most promising endeavor for small modular reactors (SMRs). Its design was approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission earlier this year, and the U.S. Department of Energy committed billions of dollars in support.
However, the developer, NuScale Power, and a group of small utilities that had agreed to purchase the nuclear power, announced Wednesday they were terminating the "Carbon Free Power Project" because they didn't have enough subscribers.
"A lot of them were saying, 'We're going to wait and see how the first plant comes together and make our decision at that point,'" said Bear Prairie, the general manager of the municipally-owned Idaho Falls Power, which is a member of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), and would have begun receiving nuclear power from the project in 2029.
Out of the 462 MW projected to be generated by the SMRs, UAMPS had committed to buy 120 MW -- about 26%. The group wanted an 80% subscriber rate in order for it to pencil out.
"I think that people are certainly disappointed," Prairie said, "because there was a lot of excitement about what this could be to really have Idaho be a centerpiece for advanced nuclear for the world."
NuScale’s projected costs surged in the last year to about $9 billion. Some critics said the cancellation was a signal that nuclear is not yet a viable climate solution. Prairie had a different perspective.
“We're seeing a strong recognition that nuclear and advanced modular reactors are going to need to play a key role in our energy future in this country," he said.
He said he's proud of the work the group did to advance modular reactor technology. The initial discussions with NuScale took place in a Idaho Falls Power conference room in 2015.
NuScale, a Portland-based company, plans to continue marketing its SMRs in other regions.
Idaho Falls Power was expecting 5 MW from the reactors. Now, along with UAMPS, it's exploring other power sources like geothermal, wind and natural gas to meet future needs.
Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen
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