Q&A with Dr. Joshua Schlegel
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A Kummer College newsletter addressing current events of economic, technological, geopolitical, risk and regulatory affairs of goods and services.
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Welcome to the September Price Points newsletter with the Kummer College. This month, Dean Jim Sterling interviewed Dr. Joshua Schlegel, associate professor and associate chair of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science.
In this Q&A, Dr. Sterling explores why nuclear power is making a comeback, the promise of small modular reactors and what these developments could mean for Missouri and beyond.
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Why is there renewed interest in nuclear power today?
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Demand. For a long time, electricity growth in developed nations was predicted to be mostly flat. With the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, we are faced with a sudden need for large amounts of electricity that need to run 24/7. Given the needs of these systems and the current science behind climate change, nuclear energy makes a lot of sense.
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We also hear a lot about small modular reactors. Why are they important?
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Yes, the nuclear power industry is anticipating a big change with the arrival of small modular reactors. Many of the first commercial reactors would today be considered small modular reactors.
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For decades, the trend in nuclear power has been to build bigger plants. While those large facilities are needed, a 1.5-gigawatt plant can cost billions of dollars, a price tag only the largest electric utilities can manage. Many of the coal plants slated for replacement generate just 400 to 500 megawatts, making a plant of that size less practical from an infrastructure standpoint.
Small modular reactors generate less power — typically 30 to 300 megawatts, depending on the design — but they also cost significantly less to build. That lower investment reduces the barrier to entry and makes nuclear energy more accessible.
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Why would Missouri mines be a good location for small modular reactors?
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We recently had a symposium at S&T on this topic. Not every mine will be a good site for an small modular reactor, but the right site can help reduce construction times and costs by taking advantage of existing environmental studies and infrastructure.
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It also has the advantage of using an existing industrial site rather than building a new site, which can help with obtaining permits to build and operate. With plentiful power, those sites can attract other power-hungry industries to those areas.
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Can you tell us a price indicator suggesting this enthusiasm is more than a fad?
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You’re seeing concrete investments in nuclear construction for the first time in a long while — not just from major electric utilities, but from smaller companies as well.
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Ontario Power Generation has awarded the first of four planned contracts for GE Hitachi’s small modular reactor at Darlington in Ontario, Canada, and the BWRX-300 is being considered for projects at Clinch River, Tennessee, as well as in Poland, Hungary and the United Kingdom.
TerraPower is building a Natrium reactor in Wyoming, while Abilene Christian, Mizzou and S&T are launching campus reactor projects. Long Mott Energy has applied to build X-energy’s Xe-100, and NuScale plans 1 GW of capacity in Ohio and Pennsylvania to power data centers.
People have talked about the potential of next-generation nuclear power for a long time, but in the last couple of years we’ve seen that come to life.
We’re excited about this momentum and the enrollment increases, which reflects growing public awareness that nuclear power is a growing industry.
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Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development
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Missouri University of Science and Technology
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