University Study Finds NuScale Power Reactor Costs Prohibitive

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder released a study indicating that the operating costs for NuScale Power's small modular reactors (SMRs) may be prohibitively high. The study estimates total operating costs at over $93 per megawatt hour, which significantly exceeds the historical market electricity price of $42 to $45 per megawatt hour.

The findings suggest that these reactors might not pay for themselves within their 60-year expected lifetime, even if construction costs were zero. NuScale Power currently has no commercial reactors in operation, though it maintains ongoing projects with the Tennessee Valley Authority and a Romanian utilities company.

This economic analysis follows the November 2023 cancellation of the Carbon Free Power Project with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems. That project was terminated after estimated costs rose from $4.2 billion in 2018 to $9.3 billion in 2023.