How Nuclear Power Can Transform Electric Grid and Critical Infrastructure Resilience
How rPPs and rNPPs Can Enhance Grid Resilience
There are several ways in which rPPs and rNPPs , if intelligently deployed , could provide significant Grid resilience benefits . These benefits relate to their ability to supply emergency and backup power to larger traditional reactors , their flexible operations capabilities ( EPRI 2014 ), their greater tolerance to Grid anomalies , their ability to serve as variable-capacity black start units , the likelihood that small rNPPs could be sited much closer to the electrical loads they serve , and the unique “ fuel security ” attributes of nuclear power in general . Each of these benefits is briefly discussed in this section .
By Enhancing the Resilience of Existing NPPs
Small rNPPs could provide assured shutdown cooling power and cranking power to today ’ s large NPPs if the rNPPs were co-located onsite or very near existing NPPs . This approach mirrors that currently employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority ( TVA ) at their Watts Bar Nuclear Generation Station in Tennessee and Duke Energy at its Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina . In both cases , electric power from co-located or effectively co-located hydro generation facilities ( dams ) can provide priority power to neighboring NPPs . In addition to the technical challenges that must be overcome to integrate the co-located rNPP and NPP , the regulatory challenges to island mode and black start operation of existing NPPs previously discussed would have to be overcome to reap the full benefits of the integrated rNPP / NPP facility .
By Enhancing NPP ’ s Flexible Operations Capability
A rNPP would have significantly enhanced load following and “ flexible operations ” capabilities compared to existing NPPs . Thus , if economically competitive with other non-baseload generating capacity , the rNPP would not be captive to baseload operations during “ normal ” operations as is the case for current generation NPPs in the U . S . The economics of NPPs operating in non-baseload modes as providers of “ ancillary services ” ( regulation , spinning reserve , black start , etc .) are complex ( Helman 2008 , ANL 2016 ). Recent studies of NPP flexible operations during normal ( non-emergency ) conditions indicate such operations have the potential to lower power system operating costs , increase reactor owner revenues , and substantially facilitate the use of renewable energy sources ( Jenkins 2018 ).
By Reducing Vulnerability To Grid Anomalies
The resilience enhancing capabilities of rNPPs ( Table 1 ) means they would be more tolerant of Grid anomalies , and therefore less likely to trip offline when such conditions occur . These qualities would enable the rNPP to remain available to stabilize the Grid ( from the voltage and frequency perspective ), reducing the po-
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