Ready-to-go renewables better option than SMRs - report

News

Sources of renewable energy should be more widely adopted in the near term instead of focussing on small modular reactors (SMRs), a new report has found.

Vadim/AdobeStock

Produced by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the report finds that SMRs are still too expensive, too slow to build, and too risky to play a significant role in transitioning away from fossil fuels.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency over 80 SMR concepts are at some phase of development globally.

Advocates of SMRs believe the price and construction time of these power plants will be quicker and cheaper than previous nuclear projects. The new IEEFA report finds that the industry is still troubled by cost overruns and schedule delays.

“A key argument from SMR proponents is that the new reactors will be economically competitive,” David Schlissel, IEEFA director of resource planning analysis and co-author of the report said in a statement. “But the on-the-ground experience with the initial SMRs that have been built or that are currently under construction shows that this simply is not true.”

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

SMRs