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New laws offer nuclear industry incentives for existing power plant uprates
This year, the U.S. nuclear industry received a much-needed economic boost that could help preserve operating nuclear power plants and incentivize upgrades that extend their lifespan and power output.
Signed into law in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act offers production tax credits (PTCs) for existing nuclear power plants and either PTCs or investment tax credits (ITCs) for new carbon-free generation. These credits could make power uprates—increasing the maximum power level at which a commercial plant may operate—a much more appealing option for utilities.
Yasushi Seki and Hiroshi Maekawa
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 66 | Number 2 | May 1978 | Pages 243-251
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NSE78-A27205
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In a spherical lithium metal assembly with a graphite reflector, the changes in the fission rates of 235U and 238U due to changes in the cross-section sets of the constituent elements of the assembly are calculated. The results are discussed on the basis of experimental data. The fission rate of 235U is found to be most sensitive to changes in the cross-section set of 6Li in the lithium region, while in the graphite reflector, it is most sensitive to that of 12C. The fission rate of 238U is found to be more sensitive to changes in the cross-section sets of the elements in the stainless-steel structure rather than to those of lithium or graphite.