Friday, July 27, 2012

Ohio's FirstEnergy and Babcock & Wilcox to Test Modular Nuclear Reactors (FE; BW)

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
FirstEnergy looking into buying small nuclear reactor from Babcock & Wilcox
FirstEnergy Corp. is interested in buying a new, small nuclear reactor somewhere in its multi-state service area.

Generating just a fraction of the power of FirstEnergy's huge older nuclear power plants, the new reactor would be buried in a containment building 140 feet underground -- with its electrical generator at the surface.
It would cost a fraction of what a new large reactor would cost -- under $2 billion compared to $15 billion, the estimated cost of proposed new plants in the South.

And it is said to be much safer, with many features that would make a catastrophe far less of an issue....MORE
26FNUKED_13130371.JPG
Cutaway of an underground nuclear containment building housing two small reactors 
designed by Babcock & Wilcox. FirstEnergy is studying the feasibility of deploying 
such reactors in the future. Note the semi-tractor trailer at the top center of the drawing.

Previously:
Hyperion to Build Demonstration Nuke the Size of two Hot Tubs for DOE Savannah River Site
Lloyds List, Hyperion Power, Enterprise Shipping to Explore Nuclear Propulsion for Commercial Shipping
First Order for "small, compact, transportable, nuclear power reactor"?