Nuclear Development, June 2011, 177 p.
Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)Nuclear power plants with reactors of 1 000-1 600 MWe being most commonly commercialised
today.
However, there is currently a growing trend in the development and commercialisation of small
and medium-sized reactors (SMRs), i.e. reactors with effective electric power less than 700 MWe.
The main arguments in favour of SMRs are that they could be suitable for areas with small electrical
grids and for remote locations, and that due to the smaller upfront capital investment for a single SMR
unit the financial risks associated with their deployment would be significantly smaller than for a
large reactor. This offers flexibility for incremental capacity increases which could potentially
increase the attractiveness of nuclear power to investors.
This report is a summary of the development status and deployment potential of SMRs. It brings
together the information provided in a variety of recent publications in this field, and presents the
characterisation of SMRs currently available for deployment and those that are expected to become
available in the next 10-15 years. Additionally, it highlights the safety features and licensing issues
regarding such reactors.
Particular attention is given to the economics of SMRs, and the various factors affecting their
competitiveness are analysed and discussed. Vendors‟ data on the economics of different designs are
compared with independent quantitative estimates of the electricity generating costs, and the
deployment potential of such reactors in a number of markets and geographic locations is assessed.
