Small modular reactors

Key points

The EESC:

• recognises the value of a strategy for the development and deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Europe;
• believes that the European strategy for SMRs should be based on standardisation requirements by product family, provided that the highest safety standards are upheld;
• notes that decisions regarding reactor technologies should be accompanied by a corresponding assessment of fuel supply, fabrication, transport, storage, recycling and waste-management requirements;
• emphasizes that the strategy for these SMR value chains should prioritise the promotion of the jobs that are required, including reskilling workers;
• stresses that Member States must converge toward a very limited range of SMR solutions, provided that technological diversity is preserved where necessary to reduce systemic risk and avoid lock-in, likely no more than four or five in total;
• calls for immediately initiating a financing roadmap with a fair share of the risk uptake and burden between private investors and the public sector, including strict cost-control mechanisms, transparency and risk-sharing with private investors.