Traditionally, nuclear energy has primarily been used to provide baseload power to large power grids, such as Ontario’s, where nuclear provides over 60% of the province’s electric power with very low emissions. SMR designs should be able to take nuclear to smaller power grids (Saskatchewan), off-grid (remote mines and northern communities), allow for greater load following (to replace fossil fuels) and support the integration of more intermittent renewables in the grid within hybrid systems. SMRs could also potentially lead to greater greenhouse gas reductions through the decarbonisation of the transportation industry, which could also be an enabler for improved infrastructure (such as high speed electric rail services). All of these capabilities could make a dramatic difference in Canada’s ability to meet its Paris Accord commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

SMRs are a re-scaling and repurposing of nuclear technology for wider markets. They represent a paradigm shift for nuclear reactor technology – analogous to the shift of steam engines from mineshafts into ships and vehicles, or the movement of computers from mainframe to desktop and then to laptop.

There are over 150 proposed designs for SMRs worldwide. This number reflects both the excitement around their potential, and also the wide spectrum of possible nuclear reactor technologies. Some of these are in current commercial use, some have been physically demonstrated in the past, some are being prototyped now, and some are still conceptual. Most of these designs incorporate innovative features, including passive safety (if the system is not actively managed, it shuts itself down safely), inherent safety (making harmful emissions physically impossible), design for easy manufacture, and many years of operation on a single load of fuel. Some designs even have the potential to reduce the amounts of radioactive waste from existing reactors by closing the fuel cycle, where spent fuel is processed and partly reused.

Some SMR designs could be deployed in the near term with most available within the next 7 to 15 years. For some of the more tested technologies, the timeline challenges are not so much with the reactor design as with economic, social, regulatory and waste management issues that need to be clarified, including: who owns and operates the reactor, how is it licensed, how are risks shared, who owns the waste and how is it managed, and community engagement.

On the other hand, for some of the more innovative reactor technologies, many technical questions remain to be resolved, which may require additional years of investment in computer modelling, prototype or demonstration reactors, and operating experience.