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​​​Reactors and Transmuters

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Note on reactor cost estimates: The costs shown in these models from the Cost Basis Report (CBR). Another study which provides cost estimates was led by the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN). The GAIN study and the CRB studies are two sets of estimates for reactor costs that have been developed with differences in basis and intended use. The CBR currently has separate estimates for light water reactors (LWR), fast reactors, and gas cooled reactors. The LWR estimate is based on previous construction experience and estimates costs representative of what a well-built (limited cost overruns) reactor would be expected to have cost for the near-term construction. The other reactor technologies are based on a mix of information that is more limited due to scarcity of experience. For the GAIN estimate, the estimate includes all reactor technologies and is separated into large and small reactors. The GAIN effort focused on cost estimates that have detailed underlying cost details derived mostly from estimates developed for reactors that have not been built. The GAIN study starts with estimating reactor costs to be built in the near-term (similar to the CBR estimates for LWRs) and then projects costs into the future based on expected learning rates and deployment scenarios. While the GAIN report includes a variety of reactor technologies, when the near-term estimates for large reactors are compared with the CBR estimate for large LWRs, there is reasonable agreement between the two sets of cost data. The GAIN estimate of the 50th percentile overnight capital costs for large reactors is about 15% lower than the 50th percentile estimate in the CBR. Given the large uncertainties in costs estimated in both sources and the difference in basis and intended use, there is no meaningful difference between the two datasets.​

R Modules​​

Module R1

Light Water Reactors (LWRs)

Module R2

Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors​

Module R3

High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGRs)

Module R4

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)

Module R5

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors