There are two key limitations to increased sizing of large reactors:

Handbook of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors. http://dx. doi. Org/10.1533/9780857098535.3.293

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600 MWe 1200 MWe

Power output

Figure 12.2 Illustrative plant cost vs. power output.

• Transmission and distributions networks limit the options for deploying large amounts of additional capacity from a single location.

• Manufacturing processes limit the size of key vessel and components.

Existing grid capacity has grown from fossil-fired generation sources and has defined the grid structures. Increasing the size of single nuclear generating capacity past this point will incur transmission infrastructure upgrade costs or will potentially entail running the distribution network with increased line losses.

Current manufacturing capacity and capabilities are challenged to deliver ever larger vessels. The global manufacturing supply chain is already at the edge of the envelope to produce components of the physical dimensions required by plants today (e. g. AP1000, CPR1000, EPR and VVER).

With these two constraints the nuclear power generation portfolio has previously
been unable to challenge the economies of scale that the increasingly larger installations provide. It is against this backdrop that the small reactor can play to a different set of strengths, flipping the economics of scale and delivering on economics of volume. With the opportunity to deliver physically smaller components at volume the supply chain paradigm changes. For example, if the supply chain can be restructured with elements that closer resembled other engineered commodities from the aerospace, automotive, or even white goods sectors it could deliver nuclear power at a significantly lower cost. This is the key attribute that has to be understood before supply chain and manufacturing options can be established.