Maryland, My Maryland

 At the Balmer Sun, Could small modular reactors help ease Maryland’s energy crisis? 

As Maryland grapples with soaring electricity demand and rising energy costs, a Rockville-based nuclear company is betting that a new generation of small reactors could eventually help power the state — even as its first projects are being developed hundreds of miles away.

X-Energy Inc., with a Rockville headquarters and Frederick testing center, has plans in Texas and Washington state to generate electricity for chemicals giant Dow Inc. and retail behemoth Amazon. But its technology could be a fit for Maryland’s energy landscape, the company said in a recent interview with The Baltimore Sun.

The company is among developers of a range of new nuclear reactor technologies touted as compact, safe and flexible enough for a variety of sites but not yet in commercial use in the United States.

“Small modular reactors” cost less to build than traditional plants but can operate around the clock to generate carbon-free electricity, proponents say. Much smaller than conventional nuclear plants (typically under 300 megawatts), SMRs can be factory-built and assembled on-site, potentially reducing costs and construction time. They can be added in stages as electricity demand grows.
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Baltimore-based Constellation, for one, the nation’s largest operator of nuclear plants, is in talks with developers about co-locating modular reactors at power plants across its U.S. portfolio, including at Calvert Cliffs Clean Energy Center in Calvert County. No deals have been announced.

“New nuclear and SMRs are going to be part of America’s future, and, we’re very hopeful, also part of Maryland’s future,” said David Dardis, a Constellation senior executive vice president and chief external affairs and growth officer. “Maryland has some pretty great advantages.”

“New nuclear” is a broad term for a new generation of nuclear energy technologies and business models that differ from the large, traditional nuclear power plants built mainly between the 1960s and 1990s.

Locating small reactors at existing plants makes sense, Dardis said. Calvert Cliffs would offer adjacent land, existing electrical infrastructure and water, used as a coolant.

I would be shocked if the regulators would let them tap into Calvert Cliffs cooling water. I thought many of the "small" reactor designs  used air cooling systems. I could see a small reactor on the Calvert Cliffs reservation, which is pretty big, right next to the AI data center that is also being considered on the the site.

A friend, and neighbor, former nuclear navy, works at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is gung-ho for small reactors. I hope he gets to see this.