NPR | Small modular reactors and the future of nuclear energy

Nuclear 1

1. At which major event were discussions taking place about nuclear energy’s role in reducing carbon emissions?
A. G20 Summit
B. COP29 Climate Conference
C. World Economic Forum
D. UN Security Council Meeting

B — COP29 Climate Conference

2. The Biden administration announced a goal to do what by 2050?
A. Phase out nuclear entirely
B. Triple U.S. nuclear energy production
C. Replace all coal plants with SMRs
D. Nationalize nuclear utilities

B — Triple U.S. nuclear energy production

3. Which companies signed massive nuclear development deals due in part to IRA subsidies?
A. Tesla, Apple, Meta
B. Walmart, Intel, Cisco
C. Amazon, Microsoft, Google
D. BMW, Shell, Pfizer

C — Amazon, Microsoft, Google

4. Google plans to buy SMR-generated electricity from which company starting in 2030?
A. TerraPower
B. NuScale
C. Kairos Power
D. Hitachi-GE Nuclear

C — Kairos Power

5. Google’s planned SMR energy purchase would power the equivalent of roughly:
A. 15,000 homes
B. 100,000 homes
C. 400,000+ homes
D. 1 million homes

C — 400,000+ homes

6. Which of the following is NOT true of modern SMRs in the U.S. as of the article’s publication?
A. They are operational and producing commercial energy
B. They’re proposed as a solution to high nuclear capital costs
C. They’re designed to be modular and identical
D. None of them operate commercially yet

A — They are operational

7. What was the historical strategy nuclear engineers used in the 1950s–60s to lower costs?
A. Shrinking reactor size
B. Using solar-hybrid nuclear systems
C. Building enormous reactors to gain economies of scale
D. Licensing more private operators to compete

C — Build enormous reactors for economies of scale

8. On average, nuclear megaprojects cost:
A. Half of their planned amount
B. Slightly above their planned amount
C. Exactly their planned amount
D. More than double their planned amount

D — More than double the planned amount

9. One major reason nuclear plants experience cost overruns is:
A. Fuel shortages
B. Each plant’s design is unique
C. International sanctions
D. Heavy water scarcity

B — Each plant’s design is unique

10. Mike Laufer claims a major challenge in nuclear construction is:
A. A lack of global uranium
B. 2–5 year learning cycles
C. 20–30 year project cycles that make institutional memory hard
D. Too many competing nuclear companies

C — 20–30 year project cycles

11. Which of the following has not historically followed a strong “learning curve” (costs drop rapidly with experience)?
A. Solar
B. Wind
C. Nuclear
D. Battery storage

C — Nuclear (the one without a strong learning curve historically)

12. Among major energy sources, annual deaths from nuclear energy are:
A. Extremely high
B. Moderate
C. Comparable to solar and wind
D. Higher than coal but lower than natural gas

C — Comparable to solar and wind

13. The worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history exposed locals to what?
A. Lethal amounts of radiation
B. More radiation than Chernobyl
C. About the same as a chest X-ray
D. No radiation at all

C — About the same as a chest X-ray

14. Which disasters were referenced as examples of major nuclear meltdowns requiring evacuations?
A. Diablo Canyon & Simi Valley
B. Fukushima & Chernobyl
C. Three Mile Island & Tokaimura
D. Hanford & Oak Ridge

B — Fukushima & Chernobyl

15. Kairos Power’s SMR approach claims improved safety thanks to:
A. Zero coolant systems
B. Fusion-assisted fission
C. Standardized designs and safer coolants/fuels
D. Fully autonomous AI control systems

C — Standardized designs and safer coolants/fuels

1. Why are companies like Google suddenly interested in nuclear again, according to the article?

Because AI data centers are consuming massive amounts of electricity, and IRA subsidies make nuclear (especially SMRs) financially tempting.

2. Name the two big problems SMRs are trying to solve about traditional nuclear construction.

(1) Every reactor is custom-built and expensive.

(2) Long construction cycles cause cost overruns and loss of expertise.

3. Define the “learning curve” in the context of nuclear energy.

A learning curve means that as you build more of something, you get better at it—so costs drop with experience. Nuclear hasn't historically followed this curve.

4. Why is institutional memory such a challenge in nuclear construction cycles?

Because nuclear plants take 20–30 years to build, people retire or move on, so key knowledge gets lost between generations of projects.

5. Explain why existing nuclear plants are cost-competitive, yet new ones are massively expensive.

Existing plants are cheap to run, but new ones are wildly expensive to build, start up, and decommission due to custom designs and huge capital requirements.

6. What are two environmental or safety concerns people still associate with nuclear power?

Meltdowns (like Fukushima, Chernobyl) and long-term waste storage.

7. According to the article, how do nuclear-related annual death rates compare to fossil fuels?

Nuclear causes very few annual deaths—similar to wind/solar—while fossil fuels cause millions due to air pollution.

8. What role do modular factory-built components play in SMR cost strategy?

Modular components allow standardized, repeated manufacturing, avoiding custom designs and reducing mistakes and costs.

9. What tempting advantage does nuclear energy offer for data centers compared to solar/wind?

It’s always-on 24/7 baseload energy, unlike intermittent solar/wind that require storage.

1. SMRs are currently producing commercial electricity in the U.S.

False — No SMRs operate commercially yet.

2. Each traditional reactor’s custom design contributes to high cost overruns.

True

3. Solar and wind have seen dramatic cost reductions due to learning curves.

True

4. The average nuclear megaproject ends up costing slightly less than planned.

False — They cost far more than planned.

5. Fossil fuels cause millions of deaths per year, primarily through air pollution.

True

6. Three Mile Island exposed nearby residents to radiation levels far above a CT scan.

False — It was less than a chest X-ray.

7. SMRs aim to shorten learning cycles so builders can gain real experience more quickly.

True

8. Google expects SMR energy to reliably power AI data centers 24/7.

True

9. Long nuclear project cycles mean people often forget key lessons from previous builds.

True

10. SMRs are considered inherently immune to meltdowns.

False — SMRs lower risk, but nothing is meltdown-proof.