Two plants with SMRs are operational today in China and Russia, and other initial units will likely follow their example and provide power to the grid. in china, Linglong Forest The demonstration project is under construction at a site where two large reactors are already operating. The SMR should come online by the end of the year. In the US, Kairos Power recently received regulatory approval to build Hermes 2, a small demonstration reactor. It should be operational by 2030.
A big question for small reactor designs is how much an assembly-line approach will actually help cut costs. Although the SMRs themselves may not be specific, they will be installed at different sites – and will still require some costly adaptations to plan for the possibility of earthquakes, floods, storms or other site-specific conditions.
refueling
When it comes to uranium, the number that really matters is the concentration of uranium-235, the type that can sustain a chain reaction (most uranium is a heavier isotope, U-238, which cannot). Naturally occurring uranium contains about 0.7% uranium-235, so to be useful it needs to be enriched by concentrating that isotope.
