SMRs and Climate Change

A wave of innovation in SMRs could unlock emissions reductions by reaching into hard-to-abate parts of the economy, providing off-grid options, and options for sites that do not require (or cannot support) gigawatt-scale power generation.

Near-term innovation in nuclear energy promises to revolutionise nuclear safety and economics and open up new applications in hard-to-abate sectors.

• Small modular reactor (SMR) designs under development offer different value propositions, with a variety of sizes and temperatures intended for different applications
• SMR reactors are expected to be commercialised within the next decade
• A rapid SMR uptake could help avoid 15 Gt of carbon emissions by 2050

Dozens of SMR designs are under development in countries around the world.

The designs under development seek to provide different value propositions, with a variety of sizes and temperatures intended for different applications, as well as other features and benefits including, for example simplified and enhanced safety, proliferation resistance, modular manufacturing, scalability, and even portability in some cases.

The variety of sizes and temperatures creates opportunities for SMRs to be deployed for a wide range of new applications, but competition is fierce as the global market is not expected to support all of the designs presently under development.

A small number of different types of reactor concepts, providing different features (e.g. different sizes, temperatures, fuel cycles) could provide the flexibility to meet global requirements across a range of applications.

Fleet deployment is expected with some potential for blended fleets that incorporate complementary types of reactor concepts.

Various market and non-market forces will continue to advance winning technologies while others will fall behind.

While the pace of SMRs deployment is still subject to a number of uncertainties, it is clear from existing market outlook studies (e.g. NEA, Canada’s SMR Roadmap, NNL, McKinsey & Company) that these reactors could see a rapidly increasing rate of construction in net zero pathways, with several SMR designs expected to be commercially deployed within 5 to 10 years and ready to contribute to near-term and medium-term emissions reductions.

Up to 2035, the NEA estimates that the global SMR market could reach 21 gigawatts (NEA, 2016).

Afterwards, a rapid increase in build rate can be envisaged with construction between 50 and 150 gigawatts per year considered by McKinsey & Company (2018). Assuming a build rate that reaches 75 gigawatts per year by 2050, up to 375 gigawatts of installed capacity would be built over the next three decades.

This would translate into 15 Gt of cumulative CO2 emissions avoided.

Meeting Climate Change Targets:

The Role of Nuclear Energy

Implementing the Strategy

Through the activities of its Standing Technical Committees and Technical Secretariat for NEA-serviced bodies (Generation IV International Forum, International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation), the Agency is advancing many activities across the three themes of the NEA SMR Strategy.

The Agency also collaborates with key partners on SMR initiatives, including the Generation IV International Forum and the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation.

More about Generation IV International Forum

More about International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation

This page will be updated periodically as the NEA SMR Strategy is implemented.