China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) launched the Global Network for SMR Innovation (GNSI) during a side event hosted by China at the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, under the theme Cooperating in SMR Innovation for a Shared Future.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are intended to go far beyond traditional electricity generation. The network is designed to support SMR use in offshore power generation, high-temperature hydrogen production, district heating systems and desalination projects. To advance global climate governance, CAEA Director Shan Zhongde and Huang Wei, the special representative of the IAEA Director General, outlined that the network will focus on four main pillars:
- Technological innovation: collaborating on advanced reactor designs, such as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs);
- Standard coordination: harmonising global safety and construction rules to make deployment smoother across different countries;
- Capacity building and professional training: jointly training skilled personnel to operate and manage next-generation nuclear facilities safely; and
- Practical application: bridging the gap between engineering theory and commercial deployment.
IAEA welcomed the mechanism, stating it stands ready to support China and interested member states in using the network to expand safe nuclear choices. The GNSI organisers told the meeting that the “non-profit, unincorporated and open cooperation mechanism” would complement the IAEA, with all membership voluntary and open to government departments, regulatory bodies, companies, research institutes and universities. It will have a governing board, a secretariat, specialised committees and working groups. The first general assembly and inaugural conference is scheduled for the end of this year. All members will be bound by confidentiality, with intellectual property ownership “determined through consultation”.
Presentations at the side event were made by several Chinese enterprises involved in SMR development, including the 125 MWe ACP100 (Linglong One), which is currently being commissioned on the island of Hainan. This has a 24-month refuelling schedule, a 58-month construction timeline and requires a land area of 20.6 hectares. China General Nuclear (CGN) presented its 200 MWt HuaPeng-1 integral natural circulation pressurised SMR, which will have an estimated construction timeline of 36 months and require a site area of 10 hectares.
Other Chinese SMRs discussed included the Guohe series, including the Gen 3+ GH300 and the GH200T, rated at 200 MWt or 50-60 MWe as well as the HTR-PM, a pebble bed modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). It was proposed that the GNSI could share HTGR experience in design, construction and operation as well as “enhance communication on safety regulation and technical standards and deepen industrial collaboration with joint R&D, supply chain cooperation and talent development”.
Representatives of Pakistan, Thailand and Nigeria voiced their support for the GNSI and the opportunities for cooperation in the potential development of SMRs and SMR projects.
IAEA Deputy Director General Huang Wei noted the agency’s latest projection for future nuclear energy capacity envisaging up to 1,000 SMRs globally by 2060. He said the agency was “pleased to see China taking proactive steps to build a favourable level playing field for nuclear energy to release its full potential. The launch of this Global Network for SMR Innovation by China will further reinforce the IAEA’s activities and efforts in strengthening international cooperation on SMRs”.
China also had an exhibition booth at the General Conference with the theme of “small reactors and integrated use of nuclear energy”. This was the venue for the signing of a cooperation agreement between IAEA and Chinergy Co Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). The agreement was signed directly by Chinergy General Manager Shi Qi and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. It establishes a formal mechanism for China to share its engineering expertise in Generation IV advanced nuclear technology with the global community.
The partnership bridges the gap between China’s domestic success and international demand. The agreement covers key lifecycle phases of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). These include:
- Research & development: joint innovation on advanced reactor concepts;
- Design & construction: sharing data on modular layouts and building efficiencies;
- Commissioning & operations: opening books on safe control, operation, and maintenance; and
- Supply chains & training: exchanging information to cultivate international nuclear personnel and robust component pipelines.
During his visit to China’s exhibition, Grossi was briefed on two pioneering projects that demonstrate China’s practical mastery over integrated, non-electric uses of nuclear heat. The Shidaowan HTR-PM (Shandong Province) is the world’s first commercial pebble-bed modular HTGR, which entered full commercial operation in late 2023. It serves as the baseline proof-of-concept for HTGR technology sharing.
Xuwei Nuclear Heating Project (Jiangsu Province is a groundbreaking plant that couples HTGR technology with traditional pressurised water reactors (PWRs). It is designed primarily to supply over 35 million tonnes of high-temperature industrial steam annually to a petrochemical industrial base, showing how nuclear energy can decarbonise heavy industry.
