Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) is a consortium of public power agencies (Logan is a member). UAMPs reportedly is considering building a small modular nuclear reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls. It would likely be one of the first small modular reactors (SMR) in the country. Proponents say that SMRs are small, scalable, flexible and dramatically safer and less expensive than the traditional gigantic reactors. They also say that SMRs could replace coal-fired electrical generation and would complement wind and solar because they can ramp up and down quickly, providing c
arbon-free electricity when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Others are skeptical of Small Nuclear Reactors, citing concerns about safety, waste, and nuclear proliferation.
We’ll talk with Ed McGinnis, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy and Michael Shea, Senior Policy Associate with HEAL Utah.
