A big step for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution came this week from Poland. A chemicals company there called Synthos has begun the process to commission a small nuclear power plant from GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. The plant will only have a capacity of 300 MW, but this is enough for its specific purpose. This nuclear plant can power a Synthos factory.
The plant, which will not be completed for about 10 years, is expected to cost less than $1 billion. According to the International Energy Agency, the country of Poland still relies largely on coal and other carbon-based fuels for power generation, and it does not have a nuclear plant of its own. Reportedly, the government of Poland hopes open a nuclear plant in the next 20 years, but financing is still an issue.
A proliferation of small, localized nuclear power plants in private hands could be a boon for the environment. If these small modular reactors can gain some popularity, especially in countries where power is usually provided by relatively dirty resources, it could help. For instance, a small modular nuclear plant alongside a water desalination facility in Saudi Arabia would be a big step in a country where virtually all of the power comes from burning natural gas and oil. Similarly, Asia could help reduce its carbon footprint by opening small nuclear plants to power factories in regions that would otherwise rely on coal. Plus, the lower cost of these facilities and the relatively short timeline means they could come online and realize the positive impacts for air quality sooner.
The businesses that commission these plants do it because they cut utility costs. Of course, there is the cost of building and running the plant, but the companies can extricate themselves from the public grids and those utility bills. In the U.S., it is not entirely uncommon for large factories or server hubs to have their own power sources. Furthermore, they can sell their extra power back to the grid. Small-scale nuclear power plants could prove key to efforts to reduce industry’s reliance on dirty energy.
Source: Forbes
