Tennessee Valley Authority Looks To Build Six Small, Modular Nuclear Reactors
The first of their kind used for commercial energy generation In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, countries like Germany and Switzerland have decided that nuclear energy isn't worth the risk. The Tennessee Valley Authority apparently isn't so skittish. The TVA has inked a letter of intent with nuke-maker Babcock & Wilcox to build six small, modular reactors near Clinch River, Tenn., the first time such small, distributed reactors have been tapped for commercial power generation. The letter doesn't spell certainty for the plan, but it does equate to a kind of endorsement from the TVA. It kicks off the engineering work necessary to fulfill the permit requirements for the plants, and there really isn't a good reason why these plants shouldn't be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. B&W's design hews very close to that of previously approved and larger pressurized water reactors, but dispenses with some of those larger...