SMRs are a real family of projects, with development programmes, licences, and industrial initiatives in several countries. Their possible advantages include modularity, smaller size, serial production, and applications in specific grids or industrial sites. However, costs, timescales, supply chains, and large-scale economic performance have yet to be demonstrated for many designs. They are therefore not just marketing, but neither are they an already-resolved technology.
All FAQ
52.
Are small modular reactors just a marketing gimmick?
No, but many promises have not yet been commercially demonstrated.
