The great SMR race

摘要

Over the past several years, small modular reactors (SMRs) have gained tremendous attention and are reinvigorating the world of civil nuclear power. The SMR sector has emerged as an important new element of the global nuclear renaissance, and despite negative effects from the Fukushima disaster, the SMR market is one area that has not lost momentum. Some even argue that SMR technology is a game-changer that will fundamentally alter the nuclear power sector. While some SMR projects may be proposed as alternatives to the construction of large light water reactors (LWRs), it is more likely that the global reactor market will not be a 'zero-sum' game and that SMRs will create new opportunities for nuclear power rather than tapping into existing ones. Thus, the excitement with SMRs is the fact that they have multiple applications and deployment avenues not necessarily available to large LWRs.Only a handful of projects for small reactor deployment currently exist, but many SMR designs are being proposed by both established as well as new, startup companies.