Regulatory Considerations and Implications in Deployment of SMRs at Industrial Sites

Abstract

The industrial sector’s interest in co-locating small modular reactors (SMRs) with facilities to provide process heat and/or power has rapidly increased in the past few years as the result of the increased climate change awareness, ESG movements and the increasing carbon tax in Canada.

The industrial facility owners often approach a nuclear power plant project as if it is a conventional energy facility project, a facility that they can purchase, own and operate if the economic and technical parameters are satisfactory. However, a nuclear plant lifecycle is regulated through various Acts and Regulations in Canada, such as the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the Canadian Impact Assessment Act, and the Nuclear Security Regulations, and a nuclear energy project comes with very different project considerations and constraints.

Industrial facility owners must consider the regulatory implications of using an SMR to support their site operation. This paper presents the regulatory considerations, constraints and implications associated with co-locating an SMR or multiple SMRs with an industrial facility.