SMR - womp womp
Gribu šeit saglabāt detalizētu pārskatu, kāpēc SMR ir tufta - šis ir briefings, kas sagatavots, lai palīdzētu Austrālijas valdībai neuzkāpt uz šī grābekļa.

No private sector SMR projects have reached the construction stage. A small number of SMRs are under construction, by state nuclear agencies in Russia, China and Argentina. Most or all of them are over-budget and behind schedule. None are factory built (the essence of the concept of modular reactors).

For all the hype in certain quarters, commercial deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) have to-date been as successful as hypothesized cold fusion – that is, not at all. Even assuming massive ongoing taxpayer subsidies, SMR proponents do not expect to make a commercial deployment at scale any time soon, if at all, and more likely in a decade from now if historic delays to proposed timetables are acknowledged.

Izrādās, šajos projektos jau ir iegrūsti miljardi nodokļu maksātāju naudas, bet neviens nav pat ne tuvu kaut kam taustāmam. NuScale, Oklo un mPower jau ir tik pat kā bankrotējuši, kamēr TerraPower un XEnergy dabū pārskatīt savus izmaksu aprēķinus. Katrā ziņā šie projekti pat labākajā gadījumā maksās vēl vismaz 50% dārgāk par lielām AES (kas jau izmaksā 4-5x dārgāk par atjaunojamiem energoresursiem).

Taču, lūk, pats interesantākais novērojums, un arī pirmais ticamais skaidrojums, kāpēc valdības šajos projektos pumpē iekšā miljardus, necerot uz ekonomisku atdevi -

There are disturbing, multifaceted connections between SMR projects and nuclear weapons proliferation and militarism more generally:

- Argentina's experience and expertise with small reactors derives from its historic weapons program, and its interest in SMRs is interconnected with its interest in small reactors for naval propulsion.

- China's interest in SMRs extends beyond fossil fuel mining and includes powering the construction and operation of artificial islands in its attempt to secure claim to a vast area of the South China Sea.

- Saudi Arabia's interest in SMRs is likely connected to its interest in developing nuclear weapons or a latent weapons capability.

- A subsidiary of Holtec International has actively sought a military role, inviting the US National Nuclear Security Administration to consider the feasibility of using a proposed SMR to produce tritium, used to boost the explosive yield of nuclear weapons.

- Proposals are under consideration in the US to build SMRs at military bases and perhaps even to use them to power forward operating bases.

- In the UK, Rolls-Royce is promoting SMRs on the grounds that "a civil nuclear UK SMR programme would relieve the Ministry of Defence of the burden of developing and retaining skills and capability