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Nationally, countries are advancing the technical development, legislative and regulatory adaptation, and safety and environmental reviews of small modular reactors (SMRs). However, the development and deployment of SMRs have raised many new legal questions on both the application of existing laws to new technologies and the use of new frameworks and standards adapted to new technologies. There remains a need to address unresolved legal and regulatory questions for the unique characteristics of SMRs, so that those countries that wish to develop and deploy SMRs can integrate them into national energy portfolios.

In September 2024, NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV, and Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch announced that Sweden will host a Workshop designed to analyse the legal frameworks needed for the adoption of innovative nuclear technologies and applications.

Key Question

Are legal frameworks in place for the wide variety of innovative nuclear technologies and applications under consideration?

Organisers

The 2025 Bridging Law and Technology Workshop was co-organised by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the Swedish Government.

During the Workshop, legal, technical and policy experts from the government and private sector came together to discuss the unique legal challenges posed by advancements in small modular, transportable, maritime, and Generation IV reactors and identify potential paths forward. Organised over three days, the event included one opening, high-level session and five thematic half-day sessions covering:

• authorising SMR designs;
• SMR pre-licensing and licensing challenges, including siting, environmental reviews and public participation;
• factory manufacturing, mobile reactors and transportation;
• maritime applications (propulsion, off-shore and on-shore power); and
• fuel cycle, waste management and decommissioning.

Each session provided interactive participation with cross-cutting panels featuring legal, technical, policy or other subject matter experts, panel discussions and opportunities for audience Q&A, collaborative discussion sessions between the audience and panellists, and summaries and conclusions by the moderator.

Moderator

The Workshop was moderated by Mr Paul Bowden, Honorary Professor of Law at the Nottingham Law School and Programme Leader for the NEA nuclear law education programmes since 2011.

Session Co-Chairs

Each session was led by Chairs representing various NEA Standing Technical Committees. The Chairs helped to facilitate and oversee the planning, preparations and conduct of each session.

Venue

The 2025 Bridging Law and Technology Workshop was held at Nalen, located at:

Regeringsgatan 74, 111 39, Stockholm

Practical Information for Attendees

To help plan attendance, a comprehensive information sheet is available. This document includes details on hotels, transportation options to/from the venue, visa information (if applicable) and other logistical advice for staying in Stockholm.

Preparatory Working Groups

Working Groups were convened virtually ahead of the Workshop for each thematic session. Workshop participants were encouraged to sign up for at least one (but not more than three) of the session Working Groups.

The Working Groups had four primary purposes:

1. Providing opportunities for early engagement with other Workshop participants on the areas participants are most interested in.
2. Collecting background information on legal frameworks in different jurisdictions, primarily through surveys, presentations and group discussion.
3. Identifying targeted questions and topics to be addressed during the Workshop.
4. Documenting and reviewing a pre-Workshop discussion paper summarising legal and technical background information, current legal and technical frameworks, and challenges in the topical area to be provided in advance to Workshop participants.

Access to the Working Groups, the information they collect, and the papers are limited to workshop participants in advance of the Workshop. Working Group products will only be available publicly when the Workshop proceedings are published.

Workshop Networking Events

• Monday, 8 December 2025: Cocktail Reception, Nalen
• Tuesday, 9 December 2025: Workshop Dinner, 7A Posthuset

The Workshop was open to 200 participants. Registration is subject to confirmation as space is limited.

Registration fees:

• Private entities (law firms, companies, industry organisations, etc.): EUR 600
• Government, academia, IGOs and public-interest NGOs: EUR 300

The registration fee included:

• attendance to the 3-day Workshop;
• participation in pre-Workshop Working Group activities;
• access to pre-Workshop documents, including background and analysis papers;
• coffee breaks, refreshments and lunch for all three days;
• cocktail reception on Monday, 8 December 2025; and
• Workshop dinner on Tuesday, 9 December 2025.