TheStar.com | Business | Is small the future of nuclear power generation?

[dracodraconis]

TheStar.com | Business | Is small the future of nuclear power generation?

Hyperion Power Generation Inc. is proposing to sell one or more of its 15-tonne, 2 metre tall nuclear reactors to the oilsands developers on Alberta to generate electricity and steam for the oil-extraction process. The 25-megawatt reactors would allow them to reduce their use of natural gas, ultimately reducing their carbon footprint. The reactor would be buried 3 metres underground for its 10-year lifespan.

Comments

[bluetourmaline.livejournal.com]

A commented had an excellent point:

"
Points not mentioned

1) The Hyperion reactor does not yet exist. No prototype, no finished design. Yet somehow the price is fixed and they are taking orders. 2) The Czech company TES which has a letter of intent for 6 reactors is a tiny consulting company, which has never sold a power station. 3) The NRC in the US takes 4 to 6 years to license new conventional reactors and they say these exotic types will take "years and years" before they are considered. 4) Reprocessing dramatically increases the volume and difficulty of handling radwaste. It is used to retrieve fuel (for higher cost than fresh mining) and not for waste handling. As an environmentalist, i am not cringing at this story - i am laughing at what the Star considers news."

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

All true. Hyperion has been busy hyping its "product", with articles appearing all over the place but, as you pointed out and the American regulatory agencies are VERY quick to state, it has not been approved and it may be quite some time before it is. My guess is that Hyperion needs the press to generate investor interest, so they are attempting to demonstrate that they have potential customers.