Small modular reactors (SMRs) are an innovative option on the horizon for generating clean and reliable electricity as well as process heat, district heating, hydrogen and other industrial applications. While research suggests generally positive public attitudes towards SMRs, less is known about how "not-in-my backyard" attitudes could impact future deployment of these reactors, especially given their potential proximity to residential areas.
A recent event at the IAEA explored the need for local stakeholder engagement for SMRs. Stakeholder engagement has long been recognized as a crucial element of a complete nuclear power programme and figures among the 19 nuclear infrastructure issues included in the IAEA Milestones Approach. During a panel session at the event in Vienna last month, SMR vendors and developers, government representatives, radioactive waste management organizations, and leaders of communities hosting or planning to host nuclear facilities, including SMRs, discussed the various facets of stakeholder engagement for SMRs.
"In Finland, the majority of residents of the Helsinki metropolitan area and city of Tampere had a positive stance with regard to having SMRs in their municipality of residence in 2022," said Matti Kojo, an Associate Professor at LUT University, east of Helsinki, who conducted research on the public acceptance of SMRs in Finland. "However, we also see differences depending on how close SMRs would be located to their homes, where their stance becomes much more critical."
SMRs employ much smaller amounts of hazardous materials than larger reactors and possess inherent safety features. As a result, some national nuclear safety regulators are reviewing whether SMRs may require smaller emergency planning zones, thereby making them easier to deploy safely, including near residential areas. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, for example, issued a ruling on this issue in 2023.
Such matters are often at the heart of community concerns, said Janne Wallenius, Co‑Founder of Blykalla, a developer of a lead‑cooled fast reactor SMR. "What we hear in Sweden is that municipalities need district heat and local small‑scale power production to attract energy-intensive industry, because the existing grid cannot provide more power," he said. "Through our discussions with municipal representatives we learned that citizens are not concerned about the novelty of the nuclear reactor technology, but the extent of the emergency planning zone and management of nuclear waste."
Sophie Macfarlane‑Smith, Head of Customer Business at Rolls Royce SMR in the United Kingdom, said the company's decades-long experience as a manufacturer and operator of a nuclear site had made one lesson clear: "We have responsibility to communicate openly, transparently and honestly with our communities and listen to them and act on what they say," she said.
Solutions for managing high level radioactive waste generated by SMRs will vary from country to country: in some countries it may be stored in existing facilities, while in others new facilities, including for permanent disposal, will need to be built. The type of fuel is another factor that will influence waste management solutions.
"From the engineering perspective, we are completely confident that we can deal with the spent fuel up to and including disposal; however, the disposal conversation in the U.S. is still ongoing with no immediate plans to begin disposing of spent fuel," said Everett Redmond, Senior Director, Federal Affairs at Oklo, developer of a sodium-cooled fast reactor.
One key question concerns the amount of waste to be generated by SMRs. The answer is currently unknown since it remains unclear how many SMRs will be built. Presently, SMRs have been deployed in China and Russia, but around 70 active designs are at different stages of development worldwide. The latest IAEA high case projection sees global nuclear capacity increasing by 2.5 times by 2050, with almost 25 per cent of the increase coming from SMRs.
Participants in the event, which took place in parallel to the IAEA International Conference on SMRs and their Applications, highlighted the importance of engaging with stakeholders throughout the life‑cycle of a nuclear facility. "It is incumbent on us to have these conversations through and through and not in 50 years from now when we actually are decommissioning, but when we are putting together the plans and approaching regulators and governmental bodies dealing with decommissioning," said Ryan Duncan, head of Government Relations at Last Energy, which is developing micro modular nuclear power plants. "We should be sharing that with stakeholders and local communities as well, and it is the next step in our playbook."
Other stakeholder engagement issues discussed were employment opportunities, including through supply chain and manufacturing facilities; effective communication with investors; and maintaining relationships with different levels of government, including in the local communities. Participants also discussed the importance of how electricity production cost and timescales of SMR deployment are communicated.
"This is where honesty is incredibly important because the nuclear industry has for decades overpromised and underdelivered and we are suffering as an industry because of that," Macfarlane‑Smith said.
Ultimately, the success of SMRs will require timely engagement and open dialogue with the communities that will host them. Listening to and incorporating stakeholders' feedback can support confidence in the project. "Most of the respondents in our survey said they wanted to be informed about the project and a vast majority would like to participate in it in a collaborative way," Kojo said.
