Nuclear energy companies are trying to shrink reactors to the size of shipping containers in a bid to compete with electric batteries as a source of zero-carbon energy.
Led by Westinghouse, the race to develop “microreactors” is based on the notion they can replace diesel and gas generators used by everything from data centres to remote off-grid communities to offshore oil and gas platforms.
“Initially, the idea was there are parts of the economy that are very difficult to decarbonise, especially remote communities that depend on transportable diesel, which is very expensive,” said Jon Ball, head of Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor programme. “But the level of interest has really expanded and we believe this is going to be a significant growth area.”