SMR race needs global playbook

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is urging nations with nuclear ambitions to harmonize their regulatory rulebooks, arguing that unified standards are the only way to dismantle mounting barriers that are currently choking the planned mass-scale deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

- By MYRNA M. VELASCO

Speaking at a side event during the ongoing COP30 Climate Change Summit, IAEA Deputy Director General Mikhail Chudakov announced the agency is establishing “golden standards” for nuclear regulation harmonization. This effort is designed to catalyze convergence in rules, procedures, and best practices essential for targeted SMR projects.

“We created nuclear harmonization and standardization... we are trying to get that commonality in golden standards in rules and procedures and use and best practices in infrastructure development,” Chudakov stressed.

To drive the industry forward on addressing fragmented regulations, the IAEA has released its Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI). This key document provides a framework for aligning SMR design, construction, regulatory frameworks, and industrial processes.

The initiative operates on a dual-track system, pairing a Regulatory Track with an Industry Track to ensure coherence across the entire SMR development ecosystem.