Small modular reactors are "one of the most promising, exciting and necessary technological developments" in recent times and are now becoming a reality, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said at the agency's first international conference on SMRs.

Grossi giving his opening remarks (Image: Dean Calma / IAEA)

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are generally defined as having a power capacity of up to 300 MWe. Their components may be mass manufactured in factories and then transported and installed on sites, which may make them more affordable and faster to build. SMRs may also be sited in remote locations and in areas lacking sufficient transmission lines and grid capacity. SMRs are being considered for both electric and non-electric applications and are suitable for flexible operation, providing stability to electrical grids in integrated energy systems that combine nuclear, variable renewables, and energy storage to provide resilient and clean energy supply to different users in the form of heat, electricity, and hydrogen. There are more than 80 SMR designs at different stages of development globally.

Being held in Vienna, Austria, this week, the International Conference on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications 2024 aims to take stock of various global activities related to SMRs, as well as to discuss emerging challenges and opportunities.

Opening the conference, Grossi said: "For those of us like me who have been working in this fascinating field for more than four decades, small and modular reactors have been mentioned and talked about for many, many years, considering them a possibility, something that could happen at some point in a not very clear future. Now, this is happening."

He added: "When we talk about small modular reactors here at the IAEA, we do it in a different way. First of all, with a great sense of responsibility, because we know that behind the interesting features, behind the alluring aspects of this technology, there are issues that we have to be looking after. And no place other than the IAEA is the good place to do it, because in this house, like today, with this packed room of women and men dealing with energy issues and with nuclear issues, here is where we look at the problem from all possible angles.

"SMRs are here. The opportunity is here," Grossi said.

The IAEA noted that the first SMR units are already in operation in China and Russia, while other countries are preparing for their commissioning.

Speaking in the high-level opening panel discussion, Grossi said that to enable the widespread construction of SMRs there was a need to adapt to a new business model. "If a small modular reactor model is going to succeed, a profound revolution is needed in terms of how to adapt the use of commercially available equipment, like other industries do, and how to work together so that regulators from across the world can leverage other regulator's approaches and reviews."

"It is expected that this conference will help catalyse current activities in Member States and enhance prospects of safe and secure SMR deployment that will offer options for achieving clean energy transition and energy supply security in both embarking and expanding countries," the IAEA said.

King Lee, Head of Policy and Industry Engagement at World Nuclear Association, chaired a session on how energy-intensive sectors are exploring the option of using SMRs to achieve their decarbonisation objectives. Opening that session, he said: "We are living in an exciting time. There was mention earlier that we are seeing increasing global policy support for nuclear energy and huge interest from a wide range of stakeholders in nuclear industry and nuclear technology, in particular advanced nuclear technology like small modular reactors. This significant level of interest is demonstrated with over 1200 registrants to the conference."

The conference included an Industry Night on the evening of 22 October, organised by the IAEA and the World Nuclear Association. The event was an opportunity for SMR developers to present their projects at all development stages – from conceptual designs up to construction and operation phases – in an interactive format, where the audience could contribute to the discussion on various topics relating to a particular design.