How Nuclear Power Can Transform Electric Grid and Critical Infrastructure Resilience
foundation of a national “ hub and spoke ” Grid / CI / SASC resilience strategy with enormous potential economic and national defense implications .
Finally , it is noted that the unique fuel security attributes ( the capability for long-term , dispatchable , electricity production ) of rNPPs is particularly critical for maximizing the value of rCIIs as strategic Grid and national resilience assets .
Figure 3 . Generic resilient Critical Infrastructure Island ( rCII )
It is evident that the question of whether ongoing developments in NPP design are likely to deliver rNPPs capable of enhancing Grid and CI resilience is a matter of some importance . This issue is examined in the next section .
Will Next Generation NPPs be rNPPs ?
The U . S . has at least two dozen private sector entities aspiring to develop and field the next generation of nuclear power plants in the U . S . ( DOE 2020 ). The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC ) has characterized these new reactors as : ( 1 ) Large Light Water Reactors ( LWR ) greater than 300 MWe , which employ traditional LWR technologies and are sized similar to existing commercial NPPs ; ( 2 ) Small Modular Reactors ( SMRs ) that use traditional LWR technologies but are sized no larger than 300 MWe ; and ( 3 ) Advanced Reactors that do not utilize light water reactor coolant technology and may be of any reactor size ( NRC 2020b ). The Ad-
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