Welcome to Grid Brief! Here’s what we’re looking at today: Ghana sets out to build an SMR, Maryland’s grid challenges, and an oil and gas giant pays to protect forests.

Ghana Agrees to Build Small Modular Reactor

Last week Ghana signed an agreement with SMR developer NuScale to deploy the company’s VOYGR reactor in the African nation. The contract is expected to span over the next decade. Other contenders for the plant included France’s EDF and China’s National Nuclear Corporation.

The VOYGR is a pressurized water reactor that can produce steam generation and thermal power and in January 2023, its 55-megawatt version became the first advanced reactor to receive approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale is also working to get a 77-megawatt version approved by the regulator.

NuScale has signed agreements with several European nations—including Romania and Poland—to deploy its technology but has faced headwinds in the U.S. Last year, the company was forced to terminate the construction of the country’s first advanced nuclear power plant due to rate hikes, inflation, and regulatory challenges.

The continent of Africa only has two reactors (both in South Africa) but this will likely change soon. Egypt is currently building three 1,200 MWe reactors while Uganda is considering constructing two 1,000 MWe reactors. If the agreement between NuScale and Ghana is successful, it will be the first SMR on the continent.

In 2021, Ghana generated 63% of its electricity from natural gas and 34% from hydropower according to the IEA.

Maryland’s Will Need to Expand Grid to Meet Clean Energy Goals

Maryland’s commitment to reach 100% clean energy by 2035 will require the state to rapidly expand its grid infrastructure, according to officials from the governor’s office. Accomplishing this objective may be harder than originally thought.

One of the challenges that the state faces is public buy-in to essential transmission. To import renewable energy across state lines, regulators have proposed the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project which would build 70 miles of new 500,000-kilowatt power lines cutting through Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick Counties. The project has faced controversy since its developer said that building it would require the acquisition of property, at least partially through eminent domain.

A second challenge that the state faces is an oncoming wave of data centers. Earlier this year, Governor Wes Moore signed the Critical Infrastructure Streamlining Act of 2024 into law which will reduce regulatory hurdles for data centers, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure. The state currently has 27 data centers, according to Data Center Map.

Still, even without these data centers the state would still need to rapidly build its grid infrastructure. Eric Luedtke, Governor Moore's chief legislative officer, recently said, “Even in the absence of any new data centers in the state of Maryland, we would have to approximately double Maryland’s electrical grid to meet our clean energy goals.”

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Conversation Starters

• The oil and gas giant keeping trees in the ground (The Wall Street Journal)

  TotalEnergies recently has spent $100 million to offset its carbon emissions. The company’s purchase will protect forests in Louisiana, Wisconsin, the Appalachians, and New York.

• A water treatment startup hits unicorn status (CNBC)

  Gradiant is an MIT startup that is combatting water scarcity by turning wastewater into clean drinking water. The technology can recover 99% of water and is the first water purification to reach unicorn status.

• Should we block the sun’s rays to fight climate change? (R Street)

  Make Sunsets aims to offset the effects of global warming by blocking some of the sun’s rays before they reach Earth. For the price of $10, Make Sunsets will fill a balloon with enough SO2 to offset one ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) for one year.

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