{"id":341484,"date":"2024-09-04T08:20:39","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T06:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=341484"},"modified":"2024-09-04T08:20:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T06:20:42","slug":"u-s-nuclear-regulatory-agency-approves-first-generation-iv-nuclear-reactor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=341484","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency Approves First Generation IV Nuclear Reactor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reposted from Legal Insurrection<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Leslie Eastman<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last time we checked on the nation\u2019s energy industry, the Biden-Harris administration banned<\/a> drilling for gas and oil on 28 million acres of Alaska (rescinding the order signed by President Donald Trump).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is better news on the nuclear energy front. This is good news given that nuclear energy is the only rival to fossil fuels in efficiency and cost-effectiveness and is worthy of supplying power on a civilization-level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved construction of the first fourth-generation nuclear <\/a>reactor in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

According to Interesting Engineering, the new Hermes reactor will be the first one built in the United States in 50 years that won\u2019t be cooled by light water. Instead, it will use a system of molten fluoride salt, and a TRISO (tri-structural isotropic particle) fuel pebble bed design will power the generator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Molten fluoride salts have \u201cexcellent chemical stability and tremendous capacity for transferring heat,\u201d per the report, meaning it stays cooler and dissipates heat much faster than the light water that has been used for so long in American reactors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fuel bed consists of hundreds of millimeter-sized particles of uranium encased in multiple layers of special ceramic, which allows each individual piece of fuel to have its own containment and pressure vessel, per Ultra Safe Nuclear. The ceramic casing is stronger and more resilient than the typical zirconium alloy, meaning it can withstand higher temperatures and neutron bombardment past the failure point of other types of fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of that, because each individual piece of fuel is so small, in the event that one fails, the ensuing burst of radiation would be significantly lessened \u2014 and less likely to cause further damage, thanks to the coolant system.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Generation IV nuclear power utilizes a system of fuel fabrication plants and reprocessing facilities that together overcome some of the shortcomings of the previous generations<\/a> of nuclear power plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

To be classified as Generation IV, a system must meet, or at least have the ability to meet, the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) it is much more fuel-efficient than current plants;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) it is designed in such a way that severe accidents are not possible, that is, plant failure or an external event (such as an earthquake) should not result in radioactive material release to the outside world;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] the fuel cycle is designed in such a way that uranium and plutonium are never separated (\u201cdiverged\u201d) but only present in a mix and with other elements. This makes it more difficult to create nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Construction is underway<\/a> on the new nuclear power plant in Tennessee, in the iconic city of Oak Ridge (famous for its importance in World War Two\u2019s Manhattan Project).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Kairos Power has begun building the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor in Oak Ridge, the first Gen IV reactor approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Hermes reactor utilizes a fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor design, differing from conventional light-water reactors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGeneration IV nuclear power plant designs are revolutionary, in that they are planned to use a very different set of technologies than the reactors we use today,\u201d Ross Peel, a professor with King\u2019s College London\u2019s Centre for Science and Security Studies told Newsweek.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, we are behind China when it comes to the construction. It launched its construction of a Generation IV reactor late last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Shidaowan nuclear power plant, which features the world\u2019s first fourth-generation reactor, started commercial operations on December 6, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), one of the project\u2019s developers, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChina\u2019s independently developed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor demonstrator commenced commercial operation,\u201d CNNC said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt signifies that China has completed the world\u2019s first commercially operational modular nuclear power plant with fourth-generation nuclear technology, marking the transition of fourth-generation nuclear technology from experiments to the commercial market.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, more and more countries are rethinking their ban on nuclear energy, likely in light of the realities of \u201cgreen energy\u201d as well as the improvements being made in the Generation IV systems. Switzerland, for example, has reversed its outright ban of nuclear<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Swiss government said on Wednesday it plans to overturn a ban on building new power plants to strengthen local energy supply at a time of increased geopolitical tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy Minister Albert Roesti said the government would submit a proposal to amend nuclear legislation by the end of 2024 so it can be debated in parliament next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the long term, new nuclear power plants are one possible way of making our supply more secure in a geopolitically uncertain time,\u201d Roesti told a press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Failure to retain the option could be seen as a betrayal by future generations, Roesti argued.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

All of these are positive developments for those of us who enjoy the perks of civilization, such a light at night and heat during the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last time we checked on the nation\u2019s energy industry, the\u00a0Biden-Harris administration banned\u00a0drilling for gas and oil on 28 million acres of Alaska (rescinding the order signed by President Donald Trump).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":341486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691820710,691830462,691818206,691830461],"class_list":{"0":"post-341484","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-biden-harris-administration","9":"tag-fourth-generation-nuclear-reactor","10":"tag-nuclear-power","11":"tag-u-s-nuclear-regulatory-agency","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/0China-Nuclear-Reactor.jpg?fit=1792%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1qPO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":429630,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=429630","url_meta":{"origin":341484,"position":0},"title":"Trump II\u2019s \u2018Nuclear Renaissance\u201d: A Government Play","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/05\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"On January 26, the U.S. Department of Energy released the Fact Sheet, \u201cThe Energy Department Is Delivering on Accelerating the Deployment of Nuclear Power, subtitled \u201cPresident Trump is Unleashing America\u2019s Next Nuclear Renaissance.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden Administration\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQMc34Xy50IJnGEzqnhtV-OE370xk01bLhet0og8BXUasDppZZO9_1RRiYr7Bsrc6XO3xj9epvWnYBQODGI-tLVbn064SyPdTLyfwhV3_lO7OSNw2U__700mWmsyhHKt.jpeg?fit=1150%2C732&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQMc34Xy50IJnGEzqnhtV-OE370xk01bLhet0og8BXUasDppZZO9_1RRiYr7Bsrc6XO3xj9epvWnYBQODGI-tLVbn064SyPdTLyfwhV3_lO7OSNw2U__700mWmsyhHKt.jpeg?fit=1150%2C732&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQMc34Xy50IJnGEzqnhtV-OE370xk01bLhet0og8BXUasDppZZO9_1RRiYr7Bsrc6XO3xj9epvWnYBQODGI-tLVbn064SyPdTLyfwhV3_lO7OSNw2U__700mWmsyhHKt.jpeg?fit=1150%2C732&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQMc34Xy50IJnGEzqnhtV-OE370xk01bLhet0og8BXUasDppZZO9_1RRiYr7Bsrc6XO3xj9epvWnYBQODGI-tLVbn064SyPdTLyfwhV3_lO7OSNw2U__700mWmsyhHKt.jpeg?fit=1150%2C732&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQMc34Xy50IJnGEzqnhtV-OE370xk01bLhet0og8BXUasDppZZO9_1RRiYr7Bsrc6XO3xj9epvWnYBQODGI-tLVbn064SyPdTLyfwhV3_lO7OSNw2U__700mWmsyhHKt.jpeg?fit=1150%2C732&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":419783,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=419783","url_meta":{"origin":341484,"position":1},"title":"Seizing the moment for U.S. nuclear energy dominance","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/04\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Nuclear power delivers clean, reliable baseload energy essential for economic growth, national security, and competing in AI. 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The author of nuclear negation is the nations\u2019 greenest President ever \u2013 Richard Milhous Nixon.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-540.png?fit=825%2C581&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-540.png?fit=825%2C581&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-540.png?fit=825%2C581&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-540.png?fit=825%2C581&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=341484"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":341487,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341484\/revisions\/341487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/341486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=341484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=341484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=341484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}