Small modular reactors - Smaller regulation?

The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU | Global Dialogue invites you to an online discussion on the European Commission’s new strategy on small modular reactors (SMRs). At the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima catastrophe, we will present a new analysis by researchers from the Technical University of Berlin discussing open questions in view of the development of this technology in the EU.

The European Commission has given SMRs a prominent place in its 2025 Affordable Energy Action Plan. However, given the long road of SMRs towards potential technology readiness and the assumed high costs of electricity generation, experts question if these projects would ever supply any meaningful quantity of electricity to businesses and consumers. 

While EU policymakers and US big tech rush towards SMR technology with high expectations, our new analysis summarises the potential, the costs and open questions that should be part of the debate:

• Safety: Are independent nuclear regulators ready to greenlight novel reactor designs, their fuel production, transport and waste storage? Will small reactors also mean ‘smaller’ regulation?
• Resilience: Will SMRs reduce nuclear fuel imports from Russia or is there a risk of creating new dependencies? How will SMRs influence the risk of nuclear proliferation?
• Competitiveness: If SMRs reach a status beyond prototypes during the next decades, what would be their role and cost advantage in a dynamic electricity system dominated by variable renewables?

Join us to discuss these questions with

• Alexander James Wimmers, Post-Doc Research Associate, TU Berlin, co-author of the new Böll EU Brief on SMRs in the EU
• Allison Macfarlane, Director, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia and former chair, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Mareike Rüffer, Head of Department Nuclear Safety, Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE), Berlin

For any questions, please contact Jörg Mühlenhoff.

Check out our web dossiers "100% renewable energy in Europe" and "Towards a European Energy Infrastructure Union".