Abstract
Abstract There is a growing interest in Small Modular nuclear Reactors (SMRs) driven mostly by the concerns in decarbonising the electricity and heat sectors. Despite the expected advantages of SMRs with respect to large reactors (e.g. construction schedule reduction, lower upfront investment per unit) and at least two decades of studies, investments in SMRs have been extremely limited. Leveraging a literature review, in-depth discussions, and a questionnaire survey, this paper aims to identify and rank general elements hindering SMR construction, specific licensing and regulatory elements affecting SMR construction, and elements favouring or hindering the reuse of SMR modules. The results show that financial and economic issues (including perceived investment risk, availability of cheaper technologies to generate electricity) are the main barriers for SMR construction. Government support for financing the first-of-a-kind and developing a supply chain could allow overcoming these barriers. Time, cost and risk of the licensing process are critical elements for SMR construction; therefore, policies should be in place to support stakeholders. The economic feasibility can hinder the opportunity of reusing SMR modules. Design and interface standardisation are the main enabling factors of reusing SMR modules. Further studies on SMR decommissioning through a circular economy lens are needed.
Highlights
Affordable and clean energy is one of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals [1]
- Absence of in-factory certification - Exclusive liability of the nuclear operator - Inability to separate the license for design, site and the operator - The limited experience and capabilities of the regulatory body - The sequence of steps characterising the licensing process - Timing of the licensing process - Size of the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) - Availability of slots for the licensing - Risks involved in the licensing process - Ownership and financial requirements associated with the operator of a nuclear power plant - Cost of the licensing process
This paper aims to fill this gap in knowledge, identifying and ranking licensing and regulatory elements affecting Small Modular nuclear Reactors (SMRs) construction
Summary
Affordable and clean energy is one of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals [1]. Around 85% of the world global energy consumption is met by fossil-based fuels [2,3]. Some of the fossil’s fuels reserves could run out in this century [4,5], and the consumption of coal, natural gas and oil for electricity and heat is one the greatest sources of global greenhouse gas emissions [6]. Along with the improvement in energy efficiency and the deployment of technologies using renewable plants, Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are one of the key technologies to decrease greenhouse gasses in generating electricity [7]. Environmental goals, along with the hurdles in building Large Reactors (LRs), are key reasons behind the growing interest of academics, practitioners and governments towards Small Modular nuclear Reactors (SMRs)
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