Last Energy, an energy start-up that builds micro-scale nuclear power plants, recently showcased a prototype of its nuclear reactor module in Washington.
The module (referred to as the ‘nuclear island’) was hung vertically from a crane outside the Washington Convention Center, across from the Apple Carnegie Library.
The purpose of this showcase was to demonstrate a micro-scale, completely modular and more affordable model for nuclear development. The event was additionally meant to raise awareness about the unique promise of micro-nuclear power to meet data centres’ increasingly complex energy needs.
Washington Convention Center recently hosted Data Center World, one of the premier data centre industry conferences. This year’s conference paid particular attention to the energy demands posed by data centres, as well as nuclear power’s role as a solution.
“Data Center World is an incredibly important opportunity, but especially this year. DCW 2024 is giving special attention to the data centre industry’s energy needs and nuclear power’s unique position to address those needs,” said Michael Crabb, Last Energy SVP of Commercial.
“We’re obviously happy to see both of those topics raised, but this year’s conference also gives us a chance to add to the conversation. We can only unlock nuclear energy’s potential if we make nuclear development faster and more affordable, which requires taking a full-service approach to ensure projects get over the finish line quickly. Speaking at the conference allows us to make these points, but being in our hometown and having a prototype nearby also allows us to show people that a new model of nuclear development is possible – and on the way,” added Crabb.
As emerging technology services like AI become commonplace, the data centre industry faces a multi-fold set of energy challenges, including needs for energy abundance, reliability, decarbonisation and price certainty.
As Last Energy discussed in an October 2023 white paper, micro-scale nuclear development offers the fastest, most affordable, least resource-intensive path to 24/7 clean baseload power. Micro-scale nuclear development also affords siting flexibility and can deliver power on-site via private wire, allowing data centre customers to circumvent the traditional restraints and price volatility of the grid.
Last Energy’s prototype is non-functional, weighs 22 tons, and stands 12’x’12’x’48’. The prototype represents part of the underground portion of LastEnergy’s broader power plant (referred to as the ‘PWR-20’) where key nuclear components are located, such as the reactor, pressuriser, steam generator and cooling pumps.
The nuclear island is one of a few dozen rectangular modules that snap together to form the PWR-20, which can be manufactured, transported and assembled within 24 months. The PWR-20 is intentionally sized to serve – and be co-located by – industrial entities, including data centre campuses, auto manufacturing plants and pulp and paper factories.
