Towards European Licensing of Small Modular Reactors

Light water small modular reactors (LW-SMRs) are a promising new technology whose features make them a potentially attractive energy source. The EU-funded ELSMOR project seeks to design methods and tools for stakeholders to assess and verify LW-SMRs’ safety when installed across Europe. It will gather, analyse and disseminate information on LW-SMRs’ potential and challenges to target audiences such as citizens, decision-makers and regulators. The project will also devise procedures to evaluate their safety, enhance European experimental research infrastructure to help in assessing future LW-SMR safety features, and enrich European nuclear safety analysis codes for evaluating future LW-SMR safety. Ultimately, the licensing procedure will be smoother and more complete.