Will Small Modular Reactors Drive the Envisioned Expansion of Nuclear Energy Within the Energy Transition?

  • Program Climate & Sustainability Climate & Sustainability
  • Type Report
  • Date 01 February 2024
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Abstract

This paper evaluates the role of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in the global shift towards sustainable energy, driven by the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. It highlights nuclear energy’s importance for achieving Net Zero Emissions by 2050, emphasizing its safety, efficiency, and minimal greenhouse gas emissions. Despite historical opposition due to safety, economic, and waste disposal concerns, recent geopolitical events have rekindled interest in nuclear solutions. The paper discusses the current landscape, where nuclear power contributes significantly to global electricity, and the focus on developing SMRs for their economic, safety, and versatility benefits. These reactors are particularly promising for emerging economies, offering solutions to energy poverty and sustainability challenges. The paper concludes that the successful adoption of SMRs, essential for the energy transition, depends on overcoming economic and technological hurdles and gaining wider societal acceptance.

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Authors

Noura Mansouri

Noura Mansouri

Senior Fellow- Climate & Sustainability Noura Mansouri is a senior fellow in the Climate & Sustainability team under Knowledge and Analysis. She is leading two…

Noura Mansouri is a senior fellow in the Climate & Sustainability team under Knowledge and Analysis. She is leading two projects: (i) The Circular Carbon Economy Technology Roadmaps (CCE-TRMs), and (ii) the Nationally Determined Contributions Implementation Roadmaps (NDC-IRMs). Noura served as the (lead) co-chair of the T20 Task Force on Climate Change and Environment/Sustainable Energy since the Saudi G20 presidency and continued the role under subsequent presidencies including the Italian, Indonesian and Indian G20 presidencies. Dr. Mansouri has over 20 years of research and professional experience including academia, think tank, and international energy company experiences. She earned her MBA and Ph.D. degrees in climate change, sustainability and energy transitions from the University of London and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT. She is the author of Greening the Black Gold: Saudi Arabia’s Quest for Clean Energy. Noura has published extensively and spoken widely on climate change, sustainability, and energy transition.

 

Expertise

  • Carbon Management
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Climate Policy
  • Energy Policy

Publications See all Noura Mansouri’s publications

Adnan Shihab-Eldin

Adnan Shihab-Eldin

H-Holger Rogner

H-Holger Rogner

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