New Nuclear Power Plant

These are not for the moon, but transportable on a flatbed truck for terrestrial use. There is a good WaPo article on them but they want you to "sign in" to view a "gift" link :( This one is from Gizmodo.

The U.S. Is Testing Tiny Nuclear Reactors That Can Go Practically Anywhere

evinci-westinghouse-microreactor.jpg


Another article from last year in Interesting Engineering here.
 
It's difficult to overestimate the future of small modular nuclear power plants. At present, there is an immense, but largely unrecognized, worldwide industry providing very large but mobile electrical generation facilities. At present, these use either natural gas-powered turbines or diesel engines to power generators. When SMRs are perfected, and they eventually will be, small nuke power plants will be everywhere. They don't pollute. The growth industry of the next 25 years. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/xai-gets-permits-15-natural-144534850.html
 
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DWalt said:
It's difficult to overestimate the future of small modular nuclear power plants. At present, there is an immense, but largely unrecognized, worldwide industry providing very large but mobile electrical generation facilities. At present, these use either natural gas-powered turbines or diesel engines to power generators. When SMRs are perfected, and they eventually will be, small nuke power plants will be everywhere. They don't pollute. The growth industry of the next 25 years. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/xai-gets-permits-15-natural-144534850.html
Click to expand...
This. I think SMR's simply have to be the future. The massive data centers and such should be required to The provide their own power. WaPo article does bring up a couple of valid concerns which will need to be addressed:

...Without a federal disposal plan, nuclear waste could linger at project sites for decades.
Another challenge is finding the uranium needed to power the new reactors, which has to be enriched to a much higher grade than the fuel used in existing commercial reactors. It is not currently manufactured in the U.S., and companies are reluctant to invest in facilities to make it until they are certain microreactors are viable and a substantial number of them will be deployed...
 
Actually, HALEU is in pilot production at present. https://www.ans.org/news/2025-06-25...ntruss-haleu-production-contract-by-one-year/
There has been a great deal of development in deconversion and disposal technology for spent nuclear fuels, including HALEU, present thought is that it is achievable and will not present a difficult problem.

I am fairly familiar with what is being done at Piketon, which is just a short distance north of my Southern Ohio home town. For many years it had been the largest Uranium enrichment facility in the United States. It was built during the Korean War period to produce weapons-grade enriched Uranium and it used more electricity than New York City. HALEU will be the rebirth of that facility which has been standing idle for many years.
 
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