"The SMRs are without a doubt going to be more expensive than even large reactors. Their economics are only getting worse." Dr. Edwin Lyman, physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, commenting on the US Department of Energy's latest "last gasp" attempt to keep the US nuclear power sector alive. The DOE is looking to throw a multi-million dollar bone to Babcock & Wilcox and the Tennessee Valley Authority to build small modular reactors (SMRs) that would be located under ground, hard to access and with a smaller workforce. "What Fukushima has shown us is that existing nuclear power plants don't have the personnel or resources to cope with severe emergencies," said Lyman. In addition, the modular design could make it more difficult to inspect and maintain key components, many of which would be located within the pressure vessel at the heart of the reactor, he said. More.