Bridging Law and Technology: International Workshop for the Deployment of Small Modular Reactors

Nationally, countries are advancing the technical development, legislative and regulatory adaptation, and safety and environmental reviews of small modular reactors (SMRs). However, the development and deployment of SMRs have raised many new legal questions on both the application of existing laws to new technologies and the use of new frameworks and standards adapted to new technologies. There remains a need to address unresolved legal and regulatory questions for the unique characteristics of SMRs, so that those countries that wish to develop and deploy SMRs can integrate them into national energy portfolios. In September 2024, NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV, and Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch announced that Sweden will host a Workshop designed to analyse the legal frameworks needed for the adoption of innovative nuclear technologies and applications.