The Impact of Communication Infrastructure on Siting Small Modular Reactor: A Case Study In Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are good alternatives for power generation due to their passive safety feature and attractive energy output profile. The availability of secure, reliable and low latency communication infrastructure is vital to successful SMR monitoring and control. SMR power generation units may be located in areas where the communication infrastructure required for monitoring and control may not be available. In addition to the availability of the communication infrastructure, the system must meet the requirements of security, reliability and timeliness. These factors have to be considered along with grid priorities to establish a safe and reliable SMR system. In this paper, we evaluate a number of location-dependent communication scenarios to monitor and control SMR units. We develop a ranking system to rank different potential locations for siting new SMR units, using Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). Finally, we present a case study for Saskatchewan, Canada to rank the proposed communication infrastructures based on simulations and comparative analysis.