U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said Wednesday he wants the U.S. Department of Energy to build a test 125-megawatt nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge.
During a Senate hearing, Sen. Alexander asked Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to consider building one of the new small, modular nuclear power reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to meet the department’s goal of generating more of its own clean energy.
“I’m sure the first reactors would have an additional cost to them — a cost that’s always associated with a start-up,” Sen. Alexander said. “But if it were part of a Navy installation or part of a Department of Energy greenhouse gas goal, I wonder whether a small reactor at Oak Ridge — where a 125-megawatt reactor could eliminate the need for any additional power over the entire Oak Ridge complex and meet 48 percent of the Department of Energy’s greenhouse gas reduction goals — might be a wise approach.”
Mr. Chu said Sen. Alexander was “absolutely right” and said he hopes America “can take a technological lead” in developing small reactors.