March 3, 2011: Is small-scale modular nuclear power an option for Alaska?

Thursday, March 3, Noon-1 p.m. Diplomacy Building, ISER Conference Room

Guest speakers are Assistant Professor of Economics Ginny Fay and Research Associate Tobias Schworer, both from the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER).

The rising cost of energy in rural Alaska is threatening the sustainability of rural communities and hindering economic development. National laboratories and private industry are developing a new generation of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). The Alaska Legislature asked the Alaska Center for Energy and Power and ISER to investigate the current state of SMR technology and analyze where in Alaska this technology could potentially reduce energy costs.

The researchers found that no small-scale nuclear reactor technology for commercial power plants is currently approved in the U.S. and no SMR systems are expected to be in service before 2020. Also, all the SMR designs scheduled for development are sized at 10 MW or larger, too large for most rural Alaska communities. So the economic analysis is subject to significant uncertainties, with SMR technology potentially viable at mean crude oil prices above $90 per barrel in Fairbanks, above $190 per barrel in Bethel and at natural gas prices above $10/mcf in Anchorage. For all other locations analyzed, current SMR technologies would be viable only at crude oil prices above $300 per barrel. Join us at ISER to hear Ginny Fay and Tobias Schwörer talk about their findings.

For more information, please contact Chris Start at anwcs2@uaa.alaska.edu or visit www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Home/brownbag.htm.