Obama’s 2012 budget includes push for ‘mini-nuke’ reactor development

The President revealed his 2012 budget proposal today, including $853 million for nuclear energy research — which includes development of “mini-nukes,” or small, modular reactors that can be shipped and deployed relatively quickly, and built relatively cheaply (up to $2 billion, as opposed to the $10 billion price tag of your traditional reactor). But don’t get excited — you won’t likely be able to get your own backyard reactor just yet. For the time being, they’re to be placed in existing large-scale labs like the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. It is hoped that the reactors will bring a 28 percent reduction of the Energy Department’s carbon footprint by 2020. Obama’s 2012 budget includes push for ‘mini-nuke’ reactor development originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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