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The so-called small modular reactors will not replace the need to invest in renewable energy and large-scale nuclear power – a report by the Polish Economic Institute (PIE) claims. The experts have pointed out that SMRs may be used to, among others, generate heat for the biggest cities.
“The so-called SMRs (Small Modular Reactor) may significantly contribute to the energy transition,” the report “Perspectives for Using SMRs in Poland’s Energy Transition” stressed. The document points out that according to the manufacturers’ announcements, by 2040, even more than 100 SMR reactors are to be built in Poland.
According to experts cited in the publication, the construction of SMRs, although it can play an important role in the decarbonization process, will not replace the need for investment in RES and large-scale nuclear energy. “One of the most important roles of small nuclear reactors, in addition to the production of electricity for industry, will be their use in the production of heat in Poland’s biggest agglomerations,” predict the authors. As many as 50 percent of experts surveyed by PIE, believe that small modular nuclear reactors will be used for this purpose even before 2040, and 77 percent of experts believe that in the future they can meet even more than 20 percent of the demand for district heating in large urban agglomerations.
According to experts, one of the cities that could significantly benefit from the use of SMRs in decarbonization of heating is Warsaw. “In 2020, the demand for district heating in the Polish capital amounted to 8.9 TWh, of which 90.7 percent was produced in heating plants using coal,” the report reminded.
According to the document, in the future the demand for heat in Warsaw may surpass 14 TWh. “Installing three 900 MWt (300 MWe) reactors in the cogeneration model could meet up to 81 percent of Warsaw’s annual heat demand in 2040, while increasing electricity production in the months when heat demand is declining,” it said.
Adam Juszczak from PIE, quoted in the report published on Wednesday, pointed out that the use of SMR reactors to produce system heat in Poland will, according to most experts, be extremely important for the energy transition. This is due to, as he explained, the need to decarbonize the heating industry, which today is mostly based on coal.
“At the same time, competition in the form of alternative technologies is much smaller than in the field of electricity production. This means that the use of small nuclear reactors to produce heat for both municipal and industrial needs may be their most important application,” he explained.
The report cited data showing that public support for the use of the latest nuclear technologies for electricity production in Poland is at 84 percent, “which is the highest result among the countries participating in the survey.” That is higher by 15 percentage points than in France and Sweden (69 percent) and 23 pp higher than in the US.
Polish Economic Institute / Jacek Perzyński
