The European Commission has formally announced the creation of an industrial alliance dedicated to small modular reactors (SMRs) amid calls to get the first units connected to the electricity grid within a decade
The alliance will focus on accelerating the deployment of SMR technologies and ensuring a strong EU supply chain, including a skilled workforce.
EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson told an event in Bratislava to discuss the alliance that the bloc was reaching the moment for strategic decisions to be made and successful deployment of SMRs by the next decade will be an important and timely milestone on Europe’s path to climate neutrality by 2050 and “this must be our goal”.
She backed plans for the establishment of the industrial alliance, saying it would allow the EU to advance not only domestically but also in the context of the global competition for industrial and technological leadership.