NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV and Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, Ebba Busch
To facilitate progress and practical solutions of the unique legal challenges brought by new technologies and innovative nuclear applications, like small modular reactors (SMR), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency is co-hosting an international workshop with the Government of Sweden on 8-10 December 2025.
“Today’s nuclear sector has become increasingly interconnected,” said NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV. “By working together, countries can accomplish their nuclear deployment goals far more quickly and effectively. All participants – public and private sector, attorneys and engineers - must work together to shape this new future. By bringing us together in this forum, the NEA hopes to identify challenges, break down barriers to progress and collaboratively identify pathways to address the legal challenges facing the safe, secure and efficient deployment of SMRs and other new technologies.”
This international workshop is designed for legal, technical and policy experts from the government and private sector to discuss the unique legal challenges posed by advancements in small modular, transportable, marine and Generation IV reactors and identify potential paths forward.
“I am glad to note a rapidly increasing global interest for small modular reactors – in addition to, and as a complement to conventional large scale reactors,” said Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch. “More and more policy makers, industries and consumers realise the necessity of more dispatchable fossil free power production. It is an economic, geopolitical and environmental necessity. But we are also aware of the challenges facing investors in new reactors. Building on replicated standardised products in smaller units the SMR technology addresses all those challenges but also calls for adjustments of both regulatory and industrial processes. It will be a great pleasure for me to welcome you in Stockholm to discuss the reforms needed to speed up SMR development and make it a competitive and widely used technology.”
Organised over three days, the event will include one opening, high-level session and five thematic half-day sessions that will provide interactive participation with cross-cutting panels, followed by collaborative discussion sessions and conclusions. These multi-sectoral challenges relate to areas such as licensing, nuclear liability, transportation, factory manufacturing, environmental reviews, public participation, waste management, international co-operation and maritime applications of nuclear energy.
"Sweden is hard at work reforming our own legal framework to enable a rapid expansion of nuclear energy,” said Swedish Minister for the Environment, Romina Pourmokhtari. “Under this government, Sweden has recently finalised an inquiry that reviews the licensing process for new reactors. We are, therefore, very happy to co-host this important conference together with NEA and share our experience and knowledge.”
The idea for this workshop was originally announced in September 2024 during the NEA conference Roadmaps to New Nuclear.
