Engineering360: "Video: DOE backs both demonstration and test nuclear reactors"

There are a number of major problems with the VTR:

1. License from the NRC will require many years, particularly since no liquid metal reactor has ever been licensed.

2. The VTR is only useful for fast reactors whose economic need and value are highly suspect. The fast reactors also require reprocessing facilities and that alone is a roughly 30 billion dollar undertaking.

3. Sodium cooled reactors are notoriously difficult from technical, operational, and maintenance perspectives. Essentially, a bridge-too-far because of the fundamental safety issues using sodium with a reactor. History is littered with multi-billion dollar fiascos.