The Compleat Nuclear Power -- Missed

Abstract

After six decades of commercial nuclear power using CANDU thermal reactors that extract an industry-best 0.74% of the potential energy from natural uranium Canada is facing a crossroads that permits it to do substantially better. Among SMRs being examined to augment Canada’s nuclear fleet are fast-spectrum reactors. Such reactors can utilize the used CANDU fuel and with cost-effective fuel recycling can extract virtually 100% of the nuclear energy in uranium, yielding well over 100 times additional non-carbon energy from the same fuel, while effectively eliminating the long-term radiotoxicity of used fuel stockpiles in decades. The technology exists now, but undertaking such a new direction takes vision and courage. Who makes such decision? Private enterprise? Politicians? Utilities? Government in Ontario owns the major utility, OPG, takes their advice, and is the only entity with deep enough pockets via crowd-funding, i.e. the taxpayer. But to Canada’s detriment OPG, risk-averse, looks at fundamentally-old thermal reactor technology in SMRs. They should not.