An ambitious deployment of Generation III reactors in Europe coupled with the expected development and demonstration of small and advanced reactor technologies will require “substantial efforts” in research, development, and innovation and associated infrastructures, including research reactors, said Stefano Monti, president of the European Nuclear Society (ENS).
Monti told the RRFM 2024 research reactor conference in Warsaw on 22 April that research reactors “have been, are and will be” instrumental in the testing and qualification of fuels and materials used in reactors operating today, but also those of the future.
Research reactors are also essential for long-term operation efforts of current nuclear fleet operators in Europe and elsewhere because they allow for the testing of samples under irradiation and verify that structural materials are still acceptable for use, Monti said.