Global SMR Trends

• Large tech companies such as Google, Oracle and Amazon are considering small reactors as a possible source of power for data centers.
• The European Commission has created the Small Reactor Consortium to accelerate their development and commercial use by the 2030s.
• Russia has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan on the supply of small reactors and is developing floating NPP technologies.

Small Reactor Development in China

According to the IAEA, there are more than 80 small reactor projects and concepts in the world. China is developing 12 SMR technologies of various purposes, capacities and types.

Examples of Chinese projects:

1. ACP100 “Linglong-1” (CNNC) – under construction, planned commissioning in 2026.
2. High-temperature gas-cooled reactor (200 MW) (Tsinghua University) – commissioned in 2023.
3. Thorium reactor (2 MW) (Chinese Academy of Sciences) – reached full power in 2024.
4. Yanlong light water reactor (DHR-400) and low-temperature reactor NHR200-II (CNNC and Tsinghua University).

Possible areas of use of SMRs in China

• Replacement of small and medium coal-fired thermal power plants, especially after 2030, when some of them are planned to be decommissioned.
• Heat supply in northern regions.
• Power supply to remote areas, including islands.
• Providing steam for petrochemical enterprises.
• Supplies to other countries, in particular, within the framework of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

Economic aspects

The cost of building small reactors per kilowatt of power is approximately twice as high as that of large nuclear power plants. However, preliminary calculations show that the cost of electricity and heat from SMRs may be lower than that of gas-fired power plants. With mass implementation, economic efficiency may increase.

Conclusion

China is developing small reactor technologies, considering them as a possible solution for local energy supply and export to countries with limited energy systems.