The prospects for the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)

The twenty-first century brings about a growing demand for higher energy production, coupled with the urgent need to protect the environment, which has already suffered significant damage. In response to this challenge, several countries, including the Republic of Serbia, are considering nuclear energy as a key component of their energy mix. Utilizing nuclear energy for electricity generation offers several advantages, including stable production and supply, low greenhouse gas emissions, and high safety standards. Several countries, including the Republic of Serbia, are considering turning to nuclear energy as a staple in the energy mix. The use of nuclear energy for the production of electricity is positive in terms of production and supply stability, low greenhouse gas emissions, as well as high safety. In contrast to the benefits of nuclear energy, there are significant drawbacks, such as the high cost of constructing and operating traditional nuclear power plants, the challenges associated with treating and disposing of radioactive waste, and the potential for large-scale accidents, which contribute to public fear. To address these issues, the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) has started. SMRs have lower costs compared to conventional reactors, and their potential for serial production can further reduce expenses by shortening both construction and licensing times. Additionally, because SMRs are more compact, they require reduced number of components necessary for transporting steam, such as pipes and pumps. Serial production enables the repetition of knowledge for operational work, especially since there will be multiple reactors of the same type. In addition to their economic development potential, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have significant opportunities for applications beyond electricity generation. For instance, they can be utilized in hydrogen production, which might be essential for various industries such as chemical manufacturing, metal processing, and as fuel for vehicles. There is also the potential to use Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for applications such as process heating, district heating, thermal desalination, and reverse osmosis in the production of drinking water or for wastewater treatment. Although they are still in development, SMRs have the capacity to be widely adopted in the future, not only for power generation but also across various industries. This paper provides an overview of the benefits of SMRs as a promising new technology.