NuScale Power Corporation SMR is looking to use its small modular reactors for more than electricity generation. The company also wants to supply clean heat to industrial facilities. Industries such as chemicals, fertilizers, plastics and fuels use large amounts of high-temperature steam, which is often produced using fossil fuels. NuScale’s 250-megawatt-thermal Power Module can produce 8,883 metric tons of steam per day at full power. Its modular design also allows customers to use more or fewer modules based on their heat requirements.
NuScale’s system includes a heat-augmentation process that increases the temperature of reactor-generated steam to meet industrial needs. The steam first passes through an intermediate heat exchanger, which keeps the reactor coolant separate from the steam used by the industrial facility. Commercial compressors and heaters then raise the temperature and pressure of steam. For steam at 500°C, NuScale’s reactor provides more than 86% of the required energy, while the remaining 14% comes from the compression and heating system.
This technology could expand the potential market for small modular reactors beyond electricity generation. About 70% of U.S. industrial heat demand is for applications below 500°C, including chemical production, distillation and catalytic reforming. NuScale is also working with Ebara Elliott Energy on a commercial-scale steam compressor designed to produce 60,000 pounds of steam per hour at 500°C. The project is expected to be completed in 2027 and followed by field testing. If successful, it could demonstrate how small modular reactors can provide a lower-carbon alternative to fossil-fuel-based industrial steam.
The opportunity to decarbonize industrial energy demand is also attracting other advanced nuclear developers. As companies pursue smaller and more flexible reactor designs, applications that combine reliable electricity with high-temperature heat could broaden the addressable market for nuclear power.
Other Nuclear Developers Target Heat and Power Applications
NANO Nuclear Energy NNE is targeting applications where reliable, high-temperature energy can support power-intensive industrial operations. NANO Nuclear Energy says its KRONOS MMR uses high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology and is designed for deployment across data centers, industrial and defense-related customers. Its compact, modular architecture and use of TRISO fuel could support colocated or off-grid applications. NANO Nuclear Energy is also building partnerships to support future commercial deployment.
Meanwhile, Oklo Inc.OKLO is taking a similar approach by designing its Aurora powerhouses to provide both electricity and usable heat. OKLO sees this combination as part of a broader integrated nuclear platform spanning power, fuel and isotopes. OKLO is already developing an Aurora application at Eielson Air Force Base that is intended to supply electricity and heat, demonstrating how advanced reactors could serve facilities with simultaneous thermal and power requirements. OKLO also plans to own and operate these assets.
The Zacks Rundown on NuScale Power
Shares of SMR have lost some 34% over the past six months.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NuScale Power currently has an average brokerage recommendation of 2.58 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 19 brokerage firms.Â
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
See how the Zacks Consensus Estimate for SMR’s earnings has been revised over the past 90 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
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