Small Modular Reactors: A Technical and Economic Assessment

The report evaluates the technical and economic viability of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), contrasting them with large-scale nuclear power plants (NPPs) and variable renewable energy (VRE). It specifically analyzes the Romanian nuclear landscape, including the planned NuScale SMR in Doicești and the expansion of the Cernavodă plant. The authors argue that SMRs' modularity and standardization can mitigate the cost overruns typical of large NPPs. They recommend EU-level harmonization of licensing, the creation of a Joint Platform for SMR Procurements to achieve economies of scale, and improved public transparency in Romania.

• SMRs are defined as advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300MWe, designed to be factory-built and transported as modules to installation sites.
• The report argues that SMRs can avoid the 'Iron Law of Megaprojects'—characterized by massive budget and time overruns seen in large-scale NPPs—through standardization, modularization, and replicability in factory settings.
• Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) is identified as a limited metric for comparing SMRs to renewables in systems with high variable renewable energy (VRE) shares, as it fails to capture system integration costs such as balancing, profile, and grid costs.
• In Romania, the NuScale VOYGR-6 design is highlighted as the most advanced LWR-PWR option due to its NRC certification and planned deployment in Doicești by 2030.
• Among Generation IV reactors, the TerraPower Natrium design is ranked highest because of its maturity in siting, finance, and supply chain, supported by a project in Wyoming, USA.
• The report identifies significant public concern in Doicești regarding the proximity of the planned NuScale SMR to residential areas and the lack of a defined exclusion zone.
• To reduce costs and address fragmented demand, the authors recommend the European Union establish a Joint Platform for SMR Procurements to centralize demand and negotiate common designs.
• The report suggests the EU implement a 'license-by-testing' sandbox system to allow full-scale testing of reactor designs under regulatory oversight, reducing licensing time and cost.

APA

Dudău, R., Maxwell, A. J., Constantin, M., Arsani, A., Covatariu, A., Leipner, C., Murray, J.-M., & Botrel, M. (2023). Small Modular Reactors: A Technical and Economic Assessment. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/22132144/small-modular-reactors-technical-economic-assessment.pdf

Chicago

Dudău, Radu, Andrew James Maxwell, Mihai Constantin, Alina Arsani, Andrei Covatariu, Carlos Leipner, Jon-Michael Murray, and Marcelo Botrel. Small Modular Reactors: A Technical and Economic Assessment. Clean Air Task Force, 2023. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/22132144/small-modular-reactors-technical-economic-assessment.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{dudu2023small, author = {Dudău, Radu and Maxwell, Andrew James and Constantin, Mihai and Arsani, Alina and Covatariu, Andrei and Leipner, Carlos and Murray, Jon-Michael and Botrel, Marcelo}, title = {{Small Modular Reactors: A Technical and Economic Assessment}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/22132144/small-modular-reactors-technical-economic-assessment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }