Moltex: Progress and Plans 

Yeah, they're pretty light on details compared to the stuff they used to put out. The slide showing the design was different from what they used to show also. I think going through the Canadian design review has forced them to change a few things and they're not super eager to share all the changes.

Yes but way in the future. SSR can burn waste from old reactors, once that's gone, then start using thorium.

Ikr, Russian and China are going to beat them to this since they are moving so god damn slow.

The design isn't even finished. Look at Bwrx-300 If you want cheap nuclear before 2030. Perhaps natrium if you want to make it more difficult.

The nuclear regulatory process is painfully slow. Nobody wants unregulated nukes but the regulations could (and should) be speeded up.

"Russia will beat them to it" And NOTHING bad ever happened when Russia quickly developed fission reactors....

Because (1) VRE prices (without energy storage) are attractive and right now they can rely on fossil fuel backups, so of course companies are building them, and (2) companies like Moltex not only need to get through all the slow regulatory processes, but they also need to build a supply chain with some unique elements not found in traditional reactors, and they probably need to wait on some of the research being done at universities in support of molten salt reactors. (3) presumably they have to go through more long regulatory processes for every country, so even after building out large-scale production capacity there will be another wave of delays in some countries, which, in the meantime, will build a lot of renewables instead.

Consider it a win in that SOME fossil fuel is being displaced by fans and panels. My previous view was that nuke’s were a bridge to renewables. Recently, that has reversed. Once MSR technology starts being accepted, renewables will go the way of 8 track tapes and floppy disk drives. These guys in Canada and Thor Con in Indonesia are the leading edge. Following the thought a bit further; Imagine Yi Jinping watching this and having an aha moment and saying “Rip out those coal burners and put MSR’s in to replace them, now!”.

The fossil fuel industry does not want low cost nuclear because it will put them out of business. Especially as the low costs of MSRs means road fuels can be synthesised using the high temperature heat they generate. The Green Warriors do not want low cost nuclear because they need drama to push their politics. Low costs nukes remove the CO2 argument.

@@harleyb.birdwhisperer Rest assured. If you've got something that works, the Chinese will copy it.

@@davidelliott5843 It looks like the "greens" are safe until the mid 2030s.

Thanks, I got bored of skipping ahead every minute!

Run the reactor full load, melt salt with spare energy. Now, if you need more than what the reactor can provide, you start using the stored power and provide massive amounts of W.

@@MostlyPennyCat Yes, but why always run the reactor full load, that at this point it is an unuseful complication ? It's much easier, as a molten salt reactor, to load follow without the complexity of an other loop/circuit, IMHO

@@babyelian77 I think the answer to that is: "Neither of us know enough about nuclear, grid storage and grid design to know why the way they are doing it is the best way" These guys are top-of-their-field smart. Don't ask me, _ask them_

Because then the reactor would have to be sized larger to meet peak demand. The salt storage loop will cost less than the additional reactor capacity.

To increase capacity