SMRs for Mining: Opportunities and Challenges for Small Modular Reactors

This publication on small modular reactors (SMRs) for mining is the first of a series of NEA case studies that assess the opportunities and challenges for SMRs to support decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industrial sectors. The mining sector is particularly challenging to decarbonise. However, mining is essential for the clean energy transition, which depends on various critical minerals such as rare earth elements, niobium, lithium, cobalt and copper for energy infrastructure and technologies for generation, storage and transmission. These materials are commonly located in remote areas, underscoring the imperative to decarbonise off-grid mining.

This NEA case study on SMRs for mining was informed by direct engagement with stakeholders in the mining sector, who identified a range of considerations and barriers to SMR adoption at mine sites related to costs, regulatory aspects, public perception, and operational considerations. A near-term opportunity is quantified for small off-grid mines to replace existing diesel or heavy fuel oil generation with micro-SMRs, with immediate implications for critical mineral mining. This publication highlights the potential for SMRs to enable sustainable and cost-effective mining essential for the global clean energy transition.