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Updates on developments in small modular reactor technologies

ANSTO

There have been significant developments in small modular reactor technologies in 2022.

International Atomic Energy Agency

The International Atomic Energy Agency expects small modular reactors (SMRs) to make an important contribution to achieving global climate goals and energy supply security. But with more than under development in 18 countries – including innovative reactors that are yet to be licensed and novel methods of modular manufacturing that are new to the nuclear industry – widely deploying SMRs in time remains a tall task.

SMR-comparison-
Small modular reactors, or SMRs, refers to a class of modern reactors that are essentially “small”, and each unit can be manufactured in a factory. Typical designs have power levels between 10 and 300 MWe. They are “modular” in the sense that each unit can be assembled next to another and scaled up or down to meet the local electricity needs. SMRs have advantages in safety, design, waste and fuel management, and environmental footprint, among other features.

To accelerate that process, the IAEA has launched a new initiative bringing together policymakers, regulators, designers, vendors and operators to develop common regulatory and industrial approaches to SMRs.

The Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative, announced earlier this month by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, aims to facilitate the safe and secure deployment of SMRs and other advanced nuclear technologies to maximize their contribution to achieving the goals of

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