The Small Nuclear Reactor Revolution Is Underway

By Felicity Bradstock – OilPrice.com

Small modular reactor (SMR) technology has improved immensely in recent years, as several nuclear power companies around the globe aim to launch small-scale nuclear projects to provide clean energy within the next decade.

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, equivalent to about one-third the generating capacity of a conventional nuclear reactor. SMRs are much smaller than traditional reactors and are modular, making it easier to assemble them in factories and transport them to the site. Because of their smaller size, SMRs can be installed on sites that are not suitable for conventional reactors. They are also significantly cheaper and faster to build than traditional nuclear reactors and can be constructed incrementally to meet the growing energy demand of a site.