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<p>There are a number of factors that are considered to make marine nuclear propulsion
reactors unattractive for landside electricity generation, when compared to a conventional
reactor that has been designed specifically for this purpose. All of these are likely
to add to the levelised cost of electricity generation from a propulsion reactor used
for electricity generation purposes for the national grid, compared to a dedicated
land-based reactor. These include the following:</p><p>1) Propulsion reactors are
designed for more rapid power cycling than is currently demanded from landside reactors.</p><p>2)
The power density of a propulsion reactor is much higher than one would need for a
landside power reactor.</p><p>3) The serviceable lifetime for a propulsion reactor
is shorter than for a power reactor.</p><p>4) Propulsion reactors are smaller than
most reactor designs, varying between a few tens of MW to about 150 MW, resulting
in relatively little capacity per unit.</p><p>5) Propulsion reactors’ design would
result in the regulatory compliance costs of their landside use for electricity generation
being greater than those for a dedicated landside reactor.</p><p>The first two issues
add to capital costs of design and construction, the second two to operational costs
and the final to regulatory costs.</p>
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