Small Reactors Big Hype

Nuclear power proponents pinning their hopes on small modular nuclear reactors to resurrect the industry's fortunes likely will be disappointed, according to a report released this week by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The report, "Small Isn't Always Beautiful," concludes it will be extremely difficult for small reactors — which are less than a third the size of a standard 1,000-megawatt reactor — to generate less expensive electricity and, at the same time, be safer than their larger cousins.

"Nuclear safety and security don't come cheap," said UCS Senior Scientist Edwin Lyman, the author of the report. "A utility that thinks it can have its own little nuclear reactor at a bargain-basement price may get exactly what it pays for: a plant that is more vulnerable to serious accidents and terrorist attacks."