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Small Modular Distractors:Why a European SMR strategy hinders the energy transition (2025)

Auteur	Climate Action Network
	6-01-3-60-21.pdf
Datum	december 2025
Classificatie	6.01.3.60/21 (VEILIGHEID - REACTOREN - REST TYPES, KLEINE REACTOREN (SMR))
Voorkant

An EU SMR Strategy is a distraction

As demonstrated by the evidence provided below, small modular reactors are not
 a viable solution to decarbonising our energy system and supporting a transition to 
net zero. The technology has not been demonstrated at any sort of scale, with great 
unknowns when it comes to design. As the evidence below details, SMR projects 
have been shown to be significantly delayed compared to initial estimates, are 
slower to construct than traditional nuclear, consistently over budget, more 
expensive than renewables, not economically fit to provide flexibility, not very 
small, distort funding away from realistic renewable solutions, produce more 
waste than traditional nuclear, and citizens have little trust in their governments 
to implement plans fairly. They are also planned under the assumption that the 
governments would take responsibility and invest in enabling infrastructure such 
as grids and nuclear storage facilities.

An EU SMR Strategy, as well as national plans to pursue SMRs, risks diverting 
attention, resources, and political momentum away from the proven solutions 
needed for a fast, fair, and effective energy transition. While the following
recommendations aim to minimise the potential negative impacts of SMR-related 
initiatives, it is important to underline that only a transition pathway without new 
nuclear capacity can deliver the speed, cost-effectiveness, and system resilience 
required for Europe’s decarbonisation.