This mini nuclear power plant is intended to revolutionize nuclear energy

The US company Westinghouse Electric Company has presented a mini nuclear power plant that is expected to supply more than 300,000 households with energy over the next decade. The goal: to revolutionize nuclear energy.

As part of the energy transition, some countries are pursuing different strategies. While we have finally abandoned nuclear power in this country, other countries like France continue to rely on nuclear energy. Because the method has a decisive advantage: It causes hardly any emissions and is therefore considered to be environmentally friendly to a certain extent.

Many companies see it that way too. The US company Westinghouse Electric Company has therefore now presented a mini nuclear power plant that will in future be able to supply small cities with all of their energy. A first deployment is planned for the coming decade.

Mini nuclear power plant to provide energy for 300,000 households

According to Westinghouse, the installed pressurized water reactor can deliver an output of 300 megawatts and ideally supply up to 300,000 households with energy. The so-called small modular reactors (SMR) promise a particularly high level of performance in a small space. In addition, SMR are significantly safer.

Because if an incident occurs, the mini nuclear power plant automatically switches to safety mode. An emergency power supply or additional pumps are not required. Companies have been testing the technology for the power plant for around 20 years. China is already using four similarly functioning reactors.

Nuclear power: mini nuclear power plants in the US and Europe

In addition to an assignment in the United States, new projects are also emerging in the European Union. The mini nuclear power plants seem to have potential, for example Microsoft founder Bill Gates has invested in the technology. Other areas of application are also conceivable.

For example, the district heating supply or the desalination of seawater. Nevertheless, it remains unclear to what extent companies deal with the risks. Because nuclear fission in particular quickly leads to uncontrollable risks. And that includes not only the disposal of radioactive waste.

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