U of I to power buildings with nuclear microreactor, creating new demonstration facility

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - The University of Illinois is bringing a nuclear microreactor to campus. Researchers say it’s a safer, cleaner way of producing electricity compared to coal and gas.

The technology will first be used to power some campus facilities. Project leaders hope to demonstrate the potential commercial use of this technology, which could be used in buildings and homes across the country.

“What I would like to see is nuclear in my backyard,” said project coordinator Dr. Tomasz Kozlowski.

They’ve filed for a license to build a microreactor on campus in partnership with the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation.

A microreactor poses some similarities to a traditional reactor, but it produces less heat, less energy, and is 300 times smaller.

According to Kozlowski, 3 to 4 microreactors have the capability to produce all the electricity needed for Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy. One microreactor could completely power a small town.

But for now, the facility won’t serve as a replacement for fossil fuels, but rather a demonstration of the technology and a training facility.

“It's not a commercial effort, but we’re deploying a commercialize-able technology. We’re doing all the research, education, and demonstration around the technology, necessary to see it become widely deployable and economic,” said project coordinator Dr. Caleb Brooks.

This isn’t the campus’s first research project with nuclear reactors. From 1960 to 1998 the Champaign-Urbana campus was home to a nuclear research reactor that conducted physics research.

The new facility will be built near the Geological Survey Laboratory on South Oak St. with Abbott Power Plant serving as a secondary site.

Illinois is the largest producer of nuclear power in the country, with a majority of the state’s electricity coming from nuclear. Establishing and deploying this technology locally could strengthen Illinois’ existing nuclear workforce and bring new jobs to the state.

“If we want nuclear technology to be successful, then we need a new workforce. The training of future operators, installers, maintenance workers is a critical piece,” said Brooks.

The Grainger College of Engineering believes opening this facility to the public could help clear antiquated misconceptions about nuclear.

“What you typically think of when you think of nuclear is based on 1970s technology. Just like the phone, if you go back to the 1970s, the phone doesn’t look the same as our modern cellphones do today,” said Brooks.

Brooks and Kozlowski have incorporated the community at every step in the process so far. They’re encouraging community members, U of I staff, and students with questions about the project to attend their monthly meetings. They will also travel to community clubs and organizations.

“We want to listen. We want people to be engaged. We want to address misconceptions people might have heard,” said Dr. Kozlowski.

Information about the meetings is available on the Illinois Microreactor Research, Development, and Demonstration Center website.

If the government approves the plans according to the projected timeline, construction of the facility will begin next year. They hope to start operating by 2027 or 2028.