Energy Seminar – Week 5 TT24: Nuclear: Why small is beautiful

Andrew Murdoch

Andrew Murdoch

THIS IS AN INPERSON AND ONLINE EVENT

Summary: Why are Small Modular Reactors the future for nuclear? For one, their reduced scale and off-site manufacturability: a key factor that reduces the expenses and extended timelines linked to large-scale reactors. This also brings a reduction of financial risk – a result of simplified commercial deployment – which creates a more attractive prospect for significant private sector funding. Together, these advantages can allow SMRs, particularly those using advanced (Generation IV) technology, to play a game-changing role in the energy mix for Europe and the UK, supporting the fight against climate change and energy insecurity alongside renewables while offsetting their storage and reliability costs. With the inclusion of nuclear in the EU Taxonomy and the European Commission’s creation of a European SMR Alliance, which aims to facilitate and accelerate the development, demonstration, and deployment of SMRs in Europe, SMRs and AMRs are here to stay, and this seminar highlights why they’re gaining traction.

Speaker: Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the UK power industry, beginning as a turbine metallurgist, before moving into various project management and leadership roles. He has now spent nearly a decade in new nuclear development including giga-watt scale developments at Wylfa and Bradwell. Andrew graduated with a Master’s Degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Wales Swansea.

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