The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) continues to assist its member countries to understand and analyse the conditions for successful development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) across various power and non-power markets. Its latest contribution is the launch of Volume II of its SMR Dashboard.
As discussions around SMRs and their potential to play a significant role in the clean energy transition intensifies, many governments around the world are committing to support the development of SMRs as part of their energy policies. New designs of SMRs are at various stages of development, from fundamental research on new concepts to commercial deployment and operation of mature designs.
The SMR Dashboard highlights and follows the progress of various SMR designs toward commercialisation and deployment. As such, it offers decision-makers a tool to navigate this complex new wave of SMR technology under development around the world. The new volume, following the release of Volume I in March 2023, assesses 21 new SMR designs and brings the total number of SMR evaluations the Agency has completed to 42.
Consistent methodology and criteria has been applied across both volumes to look beyond technology readiness levels and assesses progress across six additional enabling conditions: licensing readiness, siting, financing, supply chain, engagement and fuel.
Taken together with assessments about technical readiness, it reveals which SMR technologies and projects are moving most rapidly from concept to commercialisation in various markets around the world.
There are many different types of emerging and well-established organisations developing SMRs around the world and this updated edition highlights the geographical diversity of the reactor developers and siting activity.
The NEA has exclusively used information from verifiable public sources during the assessments published in the NEA SMR Dashboard. These sources are available here.
The NEA SMR Dashboard is an ongoing project for the NEA, with Volume III expected to be completed later in 2023.
