The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled a strategy to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) across the European Union, pitching the technology as a key tool for decarbonization, industrial competitiveness and energy independence.
The plan targets the first operational SMRs in the early 2030s, with EU capacity potentially reaching 17 to 53 gigawatts by 2050.
SMRs are designed to be smaller, modular, and transportable, enabling deployment in factories, industrial sites, data centers or even shipping vessels. Beyond electricity, they can provide industrial heat and other energy services, reinforcing Europe’s clean-energy and decarbonization goals.
“It’s very clear that the potential for small nuclear reactors — although they are not up and running anywhere in the world yet — is very big. These types of reactors will be able to hopefully in the future, be deployed fast,” Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said at a press briefing in Strasbourg.
