Will the United States spawn the next wave of nuclear revival?

The United States is about to build its first nuclear power plant in 30 years. This may be a signal for the next wave of nuclear power.

Nuclear reactors should be the product of standardized production, while 104 commercial nuclear reactors across the United States are not the same. Experts believe that this has caused inconvenience in construction and management. The only thing that can be paid is for the consumer. The longer the time from approval to completion, the higher the user spends.

Richard Lester, head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: "It's absolutely not going to happen." Industry insiders hope that the government will provide some reactor design options for companies to choose. However, analysts and critics fear that once an unreasonable plan is passed, it may affect the nation's nuclear power plants.

In the 1990s, the United States implemented strategies for companies to select ready-made design solutions. At that time, power companies urged the government to simplify the examination and approval procedures, require suppliers to design safe, reliable, low-cost, can standardize production and quickly build.

At present, the Southern Company is planning to build the first nuclear power plant in the United States since 1978 near the Vogtle power plant in eastern Georgia. The Obama administration provided about 8 billion U.S. dollars in financial support for this purpose. (1 US dollar is equivalent to 6.78 yuan) In the five alternative designs, Southern Power is interested in the AP1000 reactor of Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse Electric Company), and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing some of the proposals. The reactor mainly relies on natural power, such as gravity and evaporation, instead of traditional motors and electric pumps, and has a service life of up to 60 years.

According to the Associated Press, other design options include AMWR and ESBWR from GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, EPR from Areva, France, and US-APWR from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Decades ago, power companies enjoyed greater autonomy to customize systems or retrofit existing equipment. Ed Cummins, vice president of Westinghouse Power Company, said: “Designing power plants one by one will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and with standardization technology, it will only be done once.”

The AP1000 is not built on a brick-by-tile basis. Instead, 300 prefabricated parts are installed together. The parts are of various sizes, some resembling the size of a table, and some are generally made up of six floors. Westinghouse claims that this can be done faster and better.

Before the project officially begins, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must confirm whether the design is safe. After 9.11, U.S. policy stated that Westinghouse would build a concrete and steel structure outside the reactor to protect it from the impact of large aircraft. The Nuclear Energy Management Committee must also confirm whether the protective building is qualified. The final decision is expected to be released before September 2011.

The last design of the AP1000 reactor was under construction in China, but the United States did not implement it because of insufficient commercial demand.

The reason why the United States did not approve nuclear power projects in the past 30 years is because there is no demand for power companies. The poor economic conditions in the late 1970s reduced energy demand and increased the cost of building nuclear power plants. After the Sanli Island accident in 1979, the nuclear power plant must also meet more stringent safety regulations.

Before the new nuclear power plant is built, there are still some problems that need to be solved. Arnold Gundersen, an engineer hired to oppose the Vogtle project company, believes that external steel structures can be corroded, and if the reactor system undergoes micro-rupture, it can cause terrible nuclear leaks. Westinghouse said that the protective building is thick and regularly checked.

Gu Desen supports standardization, but he is worried that if the project is embraced, no one will study the previous case and learn lessons.