What makes you think that no one in the U.S. will build a PBMR? Exelon's CEO, Corbin McNeill, has made some very strong statements about the technology. They have a 12.5% stake in Eskom's demonstration project. Exelon has already had discussions with the NRC on licensing of this reactor type. There are several obstacles, but none too big to overcome. I think that if the PBMR demonstration project goes as planned in South Africa then Exelon will place an order for several PBMRs to be located at an existing site in the U.S. McNeil has said that they will not necessarily wait for the demonstration plant to be built before they make a decision on ordering the reactors here in the U.S.
We could also very well see a joint government/industry demonstration PBMR reactor built on a DOE site (INEEL perhaps?).
While someone might rather build a plant with an existing approved NRC design, if the projected cost of PBMR reactors is realistic then this makes them more desirable.
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Johannes "Fritz" Strydom
Deputy Manager, Consulting Products
NAC International
678-328-1258 Fax 678-328-1458
fstrydom@nacintl.com
http://www.1nuclearplace.com
DWhitfil@KDHE.STATE.KS.US Sent by: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
06/08/01 01:16 PM
Please respond to DWhitfil
To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
cc: (bcc: Fritz Strydom/NAC_Intl)
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Subject: Re: Despite hoopla no new US nuclear power plants soon etc.
I disagree...I think the first venture will probably be a 600 Mwe APR. I
don't think the US will touch a pebble bed reactor...just my opinion.