The future of nuclear power is smaller, more modular

INSURED? DO THEY OFFER EXTENT?

>> PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THIS

WONDERFUL EVENING OUT AT FENTON

IN CARY. LOOK AT HOW MANY

PEOPLE ARE YOU STATING YOU'RE

WATCHING WRAL NEWS AVAILABLE

ON YOUTUBE, TV SPECTRUM AND THE

WRAL APP ON YOUR TV OR

STREAMING DEVICE NORTH CAROLINA

IS HOME TO 5 NUCLEAR REACTORS.

2 AND BRUNSWICK COUNTY IN THE

SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE.

>> 2 IN HUNTERSVILLE, NORTH

CAROLINA. THAT'S NEAR CHARLOTTE

AND OF COURSE, SHARON HARRIS

HERE IN WAKE COUNTY WR

INVESTIGATES FOUND DUKE ENERGY

HAS PLANS FOR 2 MORE ADVANCED

NUCLEAR PLANTS IN THE STATE.

SARAH KRUEGER SHOWS US HOW THE

FUTURE OF NUCLEAR POWER HAS A

MUCH DIFFERENT LOOK.

>> FOR MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE

TRIANGLE, THIS IS THE IMAGE OF

NUCLEAR POWER. THE SHARON

HARRIS COOLING TOWER SITS IN

SOUTHWEST WAKE COUNTY ON ITS

5400 ACRE FOOTPRINT. COMPARE

THAT TO THIS ADVANCED REACTOR

APPROVED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

IT NEEDS JUST 34 ACRES GIVING

POWER COMPANIES MORE

FLEXIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE OF

NUCLEAR. WE'RE VERY EXCITED

ABOUT HIS POTENTIAL DUKE ENERGY

SPOKESMAN. JEFF BROOKS IS

TALKING ABOUT ADVANCED NUCLEAR

ENERGY IN THE FORM OF SMALL

MODULAR REACTORS OR S M MARS.

THEY ALSO USE A LOT OF OFF THE

SHELF AND MODULAR COMPONENTS

WHILE EXISTING NUCLEAR PLANTS

ARE ESSENTIALLY BUILT FROM THE

GROUND UP ON-SITE THE REACTORS

IN THESE NEW PLANTS ARE BUILT

OFFSITE AND TRANSPORTED THE

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

PROVIDED THIS SIZE COMPARISON

OF ONE MODULAR REACTOR COMPARED

TO A PERSON AND THE TYPICAL

REACTOR LIKE SHARON HARRIS.

WHAT'S COOL IS THE SM. OURS ARE

EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE. YOU

COULDN'T DEPLOY THEM INTO A

FOUR-PACK 6 PACK.

>> VERY MUCH. DEPENDS ON HOW

MUCH POWER YOU NEED. THIS IMAGE

SHOWS WHAT THE INSIDE OF A

MODULAR REACTOR WOULD LOOK

LIKE.

>> THIS VERSION WAS BUILT FOR

6 REACTORS, BUT ONLY 5 ARE

INSTALLED FOR NOW. IF DEMAND

PICKS UP, POWER COMPANIES COULD

SIMPLY ORDER A 6TH AND INSTALL

IT MORE AND MORE COMPANIES ARE

KIND OF STARTING TO PUT THIS

INTO THEIR INTEGRATED RESOURCE

PLAN. A MASTER PLAN.

>> AS PART OF THEIR GOAL TO HIT

THEIR CARBON-FREE FUTURE.

STEVE CHAIN DALLAS WITH THE

ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH

INSTITUTE OR PRRI IS WORKING

WITH POWER COMPANIES TO DEVELOP

A ROADMAP TO BUILD THESE

ADVANCED PLANTS.

>> FIND SOLUTIONS NOW TO

OBSTACLES TO MAKE THE ROLLOUT

OF ADVANCED NUCLEAR A SMOOTH

PROCESS. THERE IS STILL SOME

WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO

MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN

SUCCESSFULLY DEPLOY THESE ON

TIME.

>> AND ON BUDGET, WE'RE GOING

TO SEE MORE NEED FOR ENERGY IN

OUR STATE IN THE FUTURE.

NUCLEAR IS A PROVEN TRACK

RECORD FOR BEING A GREAT PART

OF THAT MIX. AND WE WANT TO

SEE IT BE A PART OF THAT MIX

GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE.

BROOK SAYS DO COULD PUT ITS

FIRST SMR ONLINE BY 2035 NORTH

OF WINSTON-SALEM AT THE SITE OF

AN EXISTING. BUT RETIRING COAL

PLANT WERE ENCOURAGED TO PUT.

>> A NEW GENERATION AT SITES

OF EXISTING POWER PLANTS AND

THAT HELPS TO PRESERVE JOBS IN

THOSE COMMUNITIES, PRESERVE

GENERATION IN THOSE

COMMUNITIES.

>> THE SIDE OF A SECOND PLANNED

ADVANCED NUCLEAR PLANT HASN'T

BEEN CHOSEN YET. WE ARE IN A

PERIOD OF BUILDING. WE'RE IN A

TIME PERIOD WHERE WE NEED TO

HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN

ORDER TO MEET THOSE GROWING

ENERGY NEEDS THAT WE'RE SEEING

ALL ACROSS THE STATE, ACCORDING

TO BROOKS, ADVANCED NUCLEAR

HAS ADVANTAGES. PEOPLE DEMAND.

IT BRINGS A LOT OF BENEFITS

TO CUSTOMERS. IT BRINGS THE

ABILITY TO BE RELIABLE AND

AFFORDABLE. HE TELLS WRAL DUKE

WILL DO ALL IT CAN TO AVOID

ELECTRIC BILL SHOCKS WHEN THE

NEW PLANTS ARE BUILT. WE HAVE

A PROCESS THAT WE CAN PRESENT

SOME OF THESE COSTS IN WAYS

THAT THAT HELPS TO AVOID SHARP

SPIKES IN RATES. SARAH KRUEGER,

WRAL, NEWS, RALEIGH.

>> THE FIRST SMALL OFFICIAL

SMALL NUCLEAR REACTOR PROJECT

IN THE U.S. IS ON HOLD BECAUSE

OF CONCERNS OVER RISING

CONSTRUCTION COSTS, THOUGH

THEY'RE STILL CONSIDERABLY

CHEAPER THAN A NEW LARGER ONE.

THERE ARE DOZENS OF OTHER

DESIGNS IN THE EU IN USE OR IN

THE WORKS AROUND THE WORLD.

THAT COULD BE AN OPTION.