Small Modular NUCLEAR Reactors. Climate Solution or Costly Distraction?

Are Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) really moving toward large-scale deployment or are the economic challenges highlighted by critics still unresolved? Can factory-built modular reactors reduce construction risk, shorten build times and lower costs through mass production? Or will shrinking reactors actually make them more expensive? The sceptics are quite certain of the answer but politicians keep barrelling ahead. So, will we ever really see an SMRs on the outskirts of major towns and cities around the world?

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Reference Links

Kim & McFarlane - Challenges of small modular reactors
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149197025003877

Michael Barnard articles about SMR technology -

https://cleantechnica.com/2026/04/28/nuclear-scaling-requires-discipline-smrs-deliver-fragmentation/

https://cleantechnica.com/2023/03/28/shoveling-money-into-small-modular-nuclear-reactors-wont-make-their-electricity-cheap/

https://cleantechnica.com/2023/11/30/what-drives-this-madness-on-small-modular-nuclear-reactors/

https://cleantechnica.com/2021/05/03/small-modular-nuclear-reactors-are-mostly-bad-policy/

Paul Martin series on industrial scaling and SMRs

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scaling-examples-pt-1-small-modular-nuclear-reactors-smnrs-martin/

Previous JHAT videos about SMRs

2020
https://youtu.be/yofGtxEgpI8

2022
https://youtu.be/WQ3DvcXd3mM

2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr1ecjYFYTo

Nuclear costs 2009 to 2020
https://alivetoearth.org/the-7-pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-energy

Copenhagen Atomics
https://www.copenhagenatomics.com/technology/

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.
https://nanonuclearenergy.com/microreactors/

World Nuclear Association - global SMR map
https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-power-reactors/small-modular-reactors/small-modular-reactor-smr-global-tracker

Check out other YouTube Climate Communicators

Simon Clark:
youtube.com/user/SimonOxfPhys

ClimateTown:
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Dr Gilbz
youtube.com/@DrGilbz

zentouro:
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Climate Adam:
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Kurtis Baute:
youtube.com/user/ScopeofScience

Sarah Karvner:
youtube.com/channel/UCRwMkTu8sCwOOD6_7QYrZnw

Beckisphere: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT39HQq5eDKonaUV8ujiBCQ

Our Changing Climate :
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