UK, US should work together on small modular reactors, Starmer says

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/uk-us-should-work-together-small-modular-reactors-starmer-says-2025-07-28/

UK, US should work together on small modular reactors, Starmer says
By Reuters
July 28, 2025 11:37 AM EDT

TURNBERRY, Scotland, July 28 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the country would benefit from working more closely with the United States on small modular reactors (SMRs) as he met U.S. President Donald Trump at his golf resort in Scotland on Monday.

"The more we can work together on this the better," Starmer said.

Last month, Britain selected Rolls-Royce (RR.L), opens new tab to build the country's first SMRs, pledging 2.5 billion pounds ($3.35 billion) to kickstart the industry,

Trump said the United States would look into the opportunity for smaller nuclear plants.

…

[MrWowWow]

1. SMR- Tried and Failed to Be Economical/Reasonably Priced, Truly Mobile, Safe and Secure

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2025, 06:07 PM - Edit history (2)

Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology was not exactly “abandoned” by the U.S. military, but it faced multiple suspensions and cancellations due to practical, logistical, and strategic challenges. Here's a breakdown of the key reasons:


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⚠️ 1. Safety and Security Risks

Mobile SMRs, especially for forward-deployed military use, posed serious security concerns:

Vulnerability to enemy attack or sabotage

Difficulty in securing radioactive fuel and waste in hostile zones

High-value targets that would require constant defense




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🧰 2. Logistical and Deployment Complexity

SMRs were marketed as “modular” and “mobile,” but:

Heavy shielding and containment made even small units massive and hard to transport

Required specialized crews, cooling infrastructure, and fuel logistics not viable in austere environments

Site preparation times were longer than expected




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💸 3. Cost and Budget Realism

SMRs turned out to be far more expensive than originally promised

High R&D costs, long development timelines

No significant cost advantage over diesel in short- or mid-term deployments


The DoD found that diesel and renewables with storage were more immediately scalable



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🕒 4. Program Terminations and Pullbacks

Examples:

Project Pele (2020s) – a mobile microreactor initiative by the DoD

Progressed to prototype but still not field-deployed as of 2025


Earlier programs (1950s–1980s) like PM-3A in Antarctica or Army Nuclear Power Program (ANPP) were:

Expensive, hard to support, and shut down due to cost, complexity, and risk




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🧭 5. Strategic Shift

Military energy doctrine shifted toward:

Distributed renewable energy with battery storage

Mobile hydrogen systems

Improved diesel hybrid microgrids


These systems are:

Faster to deploy

Less politically sensitive

Safer and more resilient to attack or disaster




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✅ Summary

> The U.S. military did experiment with SMRs, but abandoned or sidelined them due to security risks, high costs, logistical burdens, and better alternatives. While research continues (e.g., Project Pele), SMRs have not proven field-ready or strategically superior for current military needs.

https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/the-u-s-army-tried-portable-nuclear-power-at-remote-bases-60-years-ago-it-didnt-go-well
.
Military SMRs remain theoretical and aspirational, not proven solutions. No model to date has demonstrated the safety, deployability, and cost-efficiency required to replace current energy systems in military operations.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. While I'm sure that's all very interesting, these SMR's are not intended for mobile use by the military

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/uk-selects-rolls-royce-smr-build-small-nuclear-modular-reactors-2025-06-10/

Rolls-Royce wins UK small nuclear reactor deal
By Sarah Young
June 10, 2025 11:43 AM EDT

…

SMRs are typically the size of two football pitches, with parts that can be built in a factory, making them quicker and cheaper than traditional plants, which take more than a decade to construct and face planning delays in the UK.

The government also said on Tuesday it would invest 14.2 billion pounds to build a large scale nuclear plant, Sizewell C, in eastern England, as part of "the biggest nuclear rollout for a generation".

Rolls-Royce SMR, majority owned by FTSE 100 engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.L), which makes the power systems for Britain's nuclear submarines, said it would build three units.

"Doing lots of them gives you that opportunity to bring down the cost, that's the big prospect," Energy Minister Ed Miliband told Sky News. "It's huge for energy security, but it's also a huge opportunity for Britain."

…

I don’t believe SMR’s are magical, but they promise to be cleaner and safer than the nuclear reactors currently running, many of which really should be retired. If they are not replaced by SMR’s they are likely to be replaced by fossil fuel plants (esp. “Natural Gas.”) In addition, even the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says that to create a clean grid almost certainly requires more nuclear power.

https://www.nrel.gov/analysis/100-percent-clean-electricity-by-2035-study
https://www.energy.gov/ne/advanced-small-modular-reactors-smrs

[MrWowWow]

3. SMRs - Mobile High Risk and Very Expensive Technology

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2025, 05:57 PM - Edit history (2)

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/General-Atomics-in-contest-for-SMR-funds

.
https://idstch.com/technology/energy/us-military-plans-battlefield-small-nuclear-reactors-smr-for-military-bases-and-deployed-troops

https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/the-u-s-army-tried-portable-nuclear-power-at-remote-bases-60-years-ago-it-didnt-go-well

[FBaggins]

4. Incorrect on many levels

1 - The military programs you're thinking of are "microreactors"... not SMRs. SMRs have nothing to do with mobility in civilian use and are usually many times the size. They're only "small" when compared to their 1GW cousins.

2 - Project Pele has hardly been sidelined or abandoned. The first contract was awarded barely three years ago - construction was begun on the core in just the last few weeks and fuel has already been fabricated. The first unit should be in service in a couple of years.

3 - The military has lots of success with SMRs (including mobile ones)... The Navy operates about a hundred of them (all of which dramatically outperform their diesel alternatives).

[MrWowWow]

5. Any reference links to your dubious claims?

Last edited Tue Jul 29, 2025, 07:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Talk is cheap. Commercial SMRs are not. As I stated already, there are no commercial production SMRs. There very likely never will be either. Any and all are just research projects. Just more government welfare for the MIC.

There are no fully operational commercial SMRs generating grid electricity.

Key Points:

Russia: Akademik Lomonosov is operational but not mass-produced or grid-connected in the traditional sense.

China: HTR‑PM is a demonstration unit, not a commercial SMR deployment.

USA & Europe: Projects like NuScale, BWRX‑300, X‑energy, and Rolls‑Royce are still in development.

IEA and other authorities project commercial SMRs around 2030, not now.


Supporting URLs:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor


2. https://www.powermag.com/a-closer-look-at-two-operational-small-modular-reactor-designs/


3. https://www.iea.org/reports/the-path-to-a-new-era-for-nuclear-energy/executive-summary

[FBaggins]

6. You mean like the support you provided for your claims?

The only link was for an article discussing 60-year-old programs

A few to get you started:

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/kairos-power-installs-reactor-vessel-third-test-unit
Kairos is one of the recently approved vendors for the "Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations" program that you must have missed.

https://www.diu.mil/latest/DOD-selects-eligible-companies-for-the-Advanced-Nuclear-Power-for-Installations-Program

Project Pele news:
https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/work-starts-on-pele-microreactor-core
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3915633/dod-breaks-ground-on-project-pele-a-mobile-nuclear-reactor-for-energy-resiliency/
https://newsadvance.com/news/local/article_9513223b-78bf-4131-9d79-0b15205d4be7.html

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Start Here

https://www.energy.gov/ne/advanced-small-modular-reactors-smrs
https://inl.gov/trending-topics/small-modular-reactors/
https://holtecinternational.com/products-and-services/smr/

https://inl.gov/trending-topics/faqs-microreactors/

…

The 98 reactors operating at the nation’s 60 commercial nuclear power plants power plants operating in the U.S. generate from 1,775to 4,400 megawatts.

Microreactors are 100 to 1,000 times smaller than conventional nuclear reactors. Small modular reactors (SMRS) range from 50 to 300 megawatts.

…

Regarding Project Pele:
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/department-defense-breaks-ground-project-pele-microreactor

Department of Defense Breaks Ground on Project Pele Microreactor

DoD broke ground on the Project Pele transportable microreactor project at Idaho National Laboratory, which could become one of the first advanced reactors to operate in the United States as early as 2026.

Office of Nuclear Energy

September 24, 2024

…

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Oh, about those mobile reactors FBaggins mentioned the Navy using...

https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/powering-navy