New Small Modular Reactors Promise Safety and Cost Benefits, But Face Regulatory and Waste Disposal Challenges Ahead.

The new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs) are expected to provide enhanced safety, lower cost, easier financing, better grid compatibility and reduced project risks. However, this will not happen if SMR developers repeat past mistakes, such as over promising on low costs. This is due to the economies of scale that led to larger nuclear power plants being larger being outweighed by the economies expected from factory line production. Long regulatory timescales required for implementation of nuclear plants also affect economics. The author suggests that developing risk-informed regulations tailored to smaller SMR designs and harmonising licensing regulations across potential user countries could overcome this obstacle. Other challenges to SMR deployment include the issue of safe disposal of spent fuel and radioactive wastes, and nuclear proliferation and security concerns related to SMRs distributed around the globe in many countries with no nuclear experience and remote regions within these countries.