regulation when reviewing a NPP ’ s system metals , welds and piping , concrete , electrical cables and reactor pressure vessels . It must also evaluate potential impact on the environment , so speedier processes have been called for . “ In the beginning , an NRC review took years to complete ,” recalls Korsnick . “ Now that the process is better understood , we are just under two years . For subsequent licence renewal , we will probably get the process down to 18 months .”
Small Modular Reactors ( SMRs ) and other kinds of so-called ‘ advanced reactors ’ continue to be positioned as a solution to the problems confronting nuclear power and the still costly renewal requirements of monolithic reactors . SMRs are nuclear power reactors with an electrical output below 300MWe and distinguishable from large reactors by modular design , with prefabrication in offsite factories and the potential for multiple reactors to be deployed at the same site to create bigger power plants . Proponents claim they will be faster , cheaper and less risky to build while safer to
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