The NEA Small Modular Reactor Dashboard: Second Edition

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are technologies capable of harnessing the energy from nuclear fission reactions to produce heat and electricity with power outputs typically smaller than 300 MWe, with some as small as 1-10 MWe. SMRs are designed for modular manufacturing, factory production, portability and scalability. They also come in a variety of configurations and temperature ranges to create heat that can be used directly, or to generate electricity to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors. The combination of these innovations presents additional potential benefits in terms of safety, operational and deployment flexibility, economics, as well as potentially spent fuel and waste management. The second edition of the NEA SMR Dashboard provides a comprehensive assessment of the progress made by SMR designers and companies worldwide. Looking beyond technical feasibility, the NEA SMR Dashboard assesses progress towards first-of-a-kind commercial deployment across six dimensions: licensing, siting, financing, supply chain, engagement and fuel. The NEA SMR Dashboard reveals substantial progress towards SMR deployment and commercialisation in NEA and non-NEA member countries, with a subset of designs in more advanced stages of commercialisation and deployment. For this second edition of the NEA SMR Dashboard the NEA's comprehensive global review identified 98 SMR technologies around the world. Fifty-six SMRs are included in this edition of the NEA SMR Dashboard. The other 42 include approximately 7 that are under development and requested not to be included in the SMR Dashboard at this time but may be included in the future; the remainder include SMR technologies that are not under active development, may be without human or financial resources, or have been cancelled or paused indefinitely. The assessments in this edition of the SMR Dashboard are based on progress up to a cutoff date of 10 November 2023.