The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has published the second edition of its Small Modular Reactor Dashboard which tracks the progress of selected small modular reactor (SMR) designs towards deployment. NEA says the SMR designs are at various stages of development, from fundamental research on new concepts to commercial deployment and operation of mature designs.
The 188-page review assesses of the progress of SMRs globally, “highlighting substantial developments towards first-of-a-kind deployment in a rapidly evolving field”. While the technical features of the different SMR technologies may be well understood, NEA notes that gaps remain in understanding the speed with which they are approaching widespread commercialisation.
NEA identified 98 SMR technologies around the world, 56 of which are included in this second edition. The other 42 include approximately seven that are under development but requested not to be included at this time but may be included in the future. The others “include SMR technologies that are not under active development, may be without human or financial resources, or have been cancelled or paused indefinitely”.
This compares with 21 designs detailed in the first edition published in March 2023, which was followed by a 60-page supplement in July 2023, tracking the progress of an additional 21 SMRs. As well as detailing the technology readiness level of SMRs, the Dashboard also assesses progress across six “additional enabling conditions” – licensing, siting, financing, supply chain, engagement, and fuel. The assessments are based on progress up to a cutoff date of 10 November 2023.
NEA says it exclusively used information from verifiable public sources, mostly from third party references such as governments, regulators, financiers, operators). “None of the sources are from the SMR designers, except for some relating to fuel type, enrichment, reactor specifics and public announcements of financing.” Prior to publication, the SMR designers were consulted by NEA and provided with a list of the sources used to compile the assessment. They were given the opportunity to comment and supplement further information. NEA says: “If this further information was independently verified, it has been used in the final published assessment”.
In his Foreword, NEA Director General William D Magwood IV says: “Progress since the publication of the inaugural volume of the NEA SMR Dashboard has been rapid and is accelerating, with multiple projects moving from conceptual design, licensing and siting to breaking ground on construction.” He notes that there are already SMRs deployed and operating in China and Russia as well as one test reactor in Japan. Developments over the past year include the licensing of the first non-water-cooled reactor design in the US to be approved for construction in 50 years, the selection of new sites to power heavy industry applications, the start of civil works for SMR projects in Canada and the US, and progress in other areas such as financing, engagement and fuel.
He adds that this second edition also offers new insight into the emerging commercial structure of the SMR industry. “While experience from other industries suggests that only a limited subset of SMR designs will survive through to deployment, the NEA SMR Dashboard outlines the benefits of having such a diversity of designs under development. It may create opportunities to consolidate global supply chains, foster standardisation and improve the economic case for SMR deployment. The advanced materials and engineering solutions under development carry further benefits for industrial uses and applications beyond the nuclear sector.”
However, the review also “captures setbacks for multiple SMR developers, reminding decision makers in the public and private sectors of remaining challenges, particularly for SMR licensing, economic competitiveness and fuel”. Waste management considerations are also critical and will be further assessed in future editions of the Dashboard.
The Dashboard reports that the 56 SMR designs under active development, include 18 by SMR design organisations headquartered in North America, 16 in Europe and seven in Asia. Fifteen SMR design organisations are headquartered in the United States, seven in France, four in China, three in Canada two in Japan, and two in Russia.
As to technologies, several innovative concepts are under development and nearing commercialisation and deployment. Some are based on traditional light water reactor concepts while others are Generation IV concepts, many of which use new coolants and moderators. Various reactor configurations are also envisaged, with both land-based and marine-based approaches proposed, as well as mobile and multi-module configurations.
In summary, the review concludes that, while a few SMRs are already operating, there is a robust pipeline of SMRs making progress towards first-of-a-kind (FOAK) deployment. “A large number of SMRs are presently conceptual. The breadth of designs may create opportunities to consolidate global supply chains, foster standardisation and improve the economics of SMRs for commercialisation.
Key findings in the areas of licensing, siting, financing, supply chain, engagement and fuel for SMRs are:
Licensing:
- China and Russia are leading on deployment;
- Some regulators are taking steps towards regulatory frameworks that support large-scale deployment of SMRs, through early collaborations and joint reviews between regulators.
Siting:
- There is real and rapid progress towards deployment in North America and Europe;
- Sites for industrial applications are starting to emerge, highlighting the capacity of SMRs to broaden the value proposition of nuclear power by targeting new industrial applications.
Financing:
- SMR development is primarily driven by public-private partnerships, particularly during the development phases;
- Financing frameworks are enhanced with power purchase agreements or off-take agreements to mitigate price uncertainty. Addressing construction risks may require the use of cost- and risk-sharing approaches between governments and the private sector, or forming industrial consortia to distribute risks among multiple stakeholders and across a larger number of projects.
Supply chain:
- Emerging SMR supply chains are characterised by intense collaborations to reduce deployment risks, with many SMRs making good progress in establishing supply chains;
- Many collaborations involve contracts with engineering, procurement and construction companies, indicating that supply chains are gearing up for deployment, with near-term and accelerating timelines. However, most efforts are focused on successfully delivering FOAK projects, and there are still no signs of a structural paradigm shift towards fleet deployment.
Engagement:
- Many SMR developers recognise the strategic importance of engaging with key stakeholders to build trust. Engagement efforts are focused on securing policy and community buy-in, talent pipeline, and first markets.
Fuel:
- New fuel types are being developed for a number of SMRs. Some new fuel types have reached commercial maturity and others still require additional development;
- Over 50% of the designs evaluated for the Dashboard are planning to use high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU). While HALEU is a technically proven fuel type, as of 2023 there was a lack of large-scale, commercial supply in OECD countries, which could delay deployment of some SMRs.
On licensing, the report notes that China and Russia are leading deployment. For 23 SMR designs there is no information available on licensing or pre-licensing activities. Some 20 designs are in the pre-licensing process. Five have submitted a licence application – NuScale Power’s VOYGR-6 SMR and Kairos Power’s Hermes demonstration reactor in the US; GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 in Canada; Rosatom’s floating RITM-200S in Russia; and CGN’s floating ACPR50S in China). One has design approval - SMART SMR design. Four have construction licence approval – Argentina’s Carem SMR, China’s ACP100 and Russia’s RITM-200N and the lead-cooled, fast-spectrum BREST-OD-300. Only three are already licensed to operate – China’s HTR-PM, Russia’s floating KLT-40S and Japan’s High Temperature Test Reactor (HTTR).
On siting, in addition to the seven operating and under construction, 17 SMRs have been selected by site owners for deployment. These include Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor, Radiant Industries’ Kaleidos SMR and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation’s (UNSC’s) Pylon D1 have been selected for deployment at the US Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL). X-energy’s Xe-100 was selected by Dow Chemical for deployment at its Seadrift facility in Texas.
In addition, 14 SMRs have non-binding agreements with site owners including, BWX Technologies’ BANR with the Wyoming Energy Authority and Tata Chemicals Soda Ash Partners (TCSAP) in the US; University of West Bohemia’s TEPLATOR SMR with Slavutych city in Ukraine; and Westinghouse’s Westinghouse LFR with SCK CEN and RATEN for potential deployment in Mol, Belgium, and Pitesti, Romania. For 18 SMRs, there is no readily available siting information.
On financing, NEA says Russia’s floating RITM-200S reactor is the only SMR that has already demonstrated progress towards Nth Of A Kind (NOAK) financing. There are 11 SMRs assessed to have their FOAK fully financed. In addition to the SMRs that are already operating or under construction, two FOAK projects are fully financed in the US (Kairos Power’s Hermes and BWX Technologies’ Project Pele), one in Canada (GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300), one in China (CGN’s ACPR50S), and one in Russia (Rosatom’s RITM-200N)
However, missing from the array of information on this selection of widely different SMRs is projected deployment dates. Some of these companies have suggested somewhat optimistic dates for operation of their first units. For example, USNC has suggested 2027 for its MMR, while Kairos (Hermes) has suggested 2026. TerraPower (Natrium), Urenco (U Battery) and X-energy (Xe-100) have all suggested 2028, although TerraPower has since indicated a delay of two years due to problems with HALEU fuel development. Leadcold initially suggested 2025 for its SEALER-55 but later amended that to 2030. Others scheduled for the early-mid 2030s include EDF’s Nuward, NuScale’s VOYGR, the Rolls Royce SMR and the Westinghouse eVinci.
Much greater technological detail is available in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) most recent edition of its biennial IAEA booklet, Advances in Small Modular Reactor Technology Developments, published in 2022. The 424 pages provide data on SMRs around the world, including detailed descriptions of 83 reactors under development or construction in 18 countries. However, this depends largely on information from the designers. Annex I summarises the information in a series of tables, including deployment timelines.
