Thread by @VTulkki

We are starting our Joint ELSMOR/TANDEM workshop in Brussels. Both are EURATOM-funded research projects into small modular reactors.

Roger Garbil from European Commission gives welcoming words, emphasizing the role of nuclear energy and European R&D efforts.

Garbil discusses EURATOM R&D funding topics you can see from the slides. This represents about 10% of European nuclear energy R&D, and is often used by the research organizations as seed for international collaboration.

Garbil describes the various potential roles of SMRs in Europe.

Like I’ve often claimed, SMRs represent an opportunity to enlarge the use of nuclear energy for different sectors.

SMR projects in Europe. Many interesting details but I have to mention one thing:

EcoSMR mentioned!!!!

Martina Adorni from OECD/NEA discusses their efforts on SMRs. NEA coordinates many research programmes relating to nuclear energy, and has now created a SMR strategy to facilitate their adoption.

NEA has created a new Expert Group on Small Modular Reactors that has begun working on the topic. The group aims to foster international collaboration, support understanding of cross-cutting issues, advance understanding, and support V&V activities.

Yves Desbazeille of Nucleareurope describes the effort of European SMR Pre-partnership. European Comission aims to have a partnership on accelerating deployment of SMRs across Europe, and this work paves the way for it. Issues include financing, licensing, supply chain and R&D.

Desbazeille is careful reading the work stream belonging to the nuclear safety authorities. But, the aim: to look into establishing European pre-licensing pathway.

I presented work done at ELSMOR during the last three years. Lots of our work is available through project website ELSMOR.EU

Now Claire Vaglio-Gaudard from CEA presents the TANDEM project she is coordinating. TANDEM started this autumn, and investigates the prospects of SMRs in future energy systems where they produce not only electricity but also heat and hydrogen.

TANDEM looks both the economic opportunities as well as safety challenges involved when nuclear energy is used for various energy services. They also use E-SMR dataset developed in ELSMOR for safety assessment.

Sylvie Cadet-Mercier from ASN (French nuclear authority) describes the licensing part of SMR pre-partnership project and the Nuward pre-licensing collaboration between the designers and several European regulators.

We have one remote presenter, Debbie Francis from EdF presenting the French SMR design, Nuward. Quite a lot of discussion during the day has centered around Nuward design.

Matti Kattainen from Fortum starts by wishing everyone good Finnish independence day, and continues by describing the history of Fortum’s SMR work. Starting from a small vision to a large project portfolio.

Kattainen tells also of Fortum’s feasibility study on newbuild, as well as on the risks investigated. Collaboration and R&D help with mitigating these risks.

Lavinia Rizea, atomic energy attachea of permanent representation of Romania describes the Romanian ambition on SMRs. Romania operates CANDU reactors but has more need for low carbon energy. They’re collaborating with NuScale for newbuild.

Romania aims to construct a six-pack version of NuScale to replace Doicesti coal plant, with option for solar field and H2 production for nearby steel factory.

And that’s it for today, we continue tomorrow with more scientific / technical part of the workshop.