Part 1 of 2 Parts
    Small modular reactors (SMRs) are disrupting conventional ideas about nuclear power. They are small, compact, and produce minimal emissions. This innovative alternative to conventional nuclear power reactors is receiving more public and private sector attention as governments across the globe work to meet global energy demands reliably and responsibly. According to a report released last year by Valuates, a market research firm, the global market for SMRs is expected to rise by sixteen percent year-over-year to hit nineteen billion by 2030.
SMR Pros
     SMRs are advertised as being cheaper, smaller, and safer than conventional nuclear power reactors. They are to be manufactured in factories where economies of scale and improved quality control can be applied. They are modular in design and can be delivered to the operational site and installed quickly.
SMR Cons
     SMRs can potentially produce more and hotter radioactivity in waste products.
     Economic analysts question whether it will be cheaper to gang multiple SMRs together versus building a conventional gigawatt plus conventional nuclear power reactor. Some estimates suggest that it may cost more to create a multi-reactor SMR power plant that will produce as much electricity as a conventional reactor.
     It may be possible to apply economies of scale to build SMRs in a factory. However, if quality control slips, then multiple sub-standard SMRs may be built and shipped to multiple sites before the problem is discovered forcing the decommissioning of multiple SMRs.     
     While the SMR market is filled with many innovative companies, here is a list of five leading SMR companies.
NuScale
     This advanced nuclear reactor company went public in 2022. It is leading a number of large-scale projects across Central and Eastern Europe. NuScale is particularly active in Poland where it will construct its flagship VOYGR SMR power plant which will generate up to nine hundred and twenty-four megawatts of electricity as early as 2029. Although it is a newcomer to the nuclear technology market, Poland chose the Portland, Oregon-based NuScale to develop and build Poland’s first SMR. The historic agreement follows an ambitious multi-nation decarbonization plan signed in Glasgow, Scotland, last November by twenty-eight new members of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA). The eastern European nation generated about seventy percent of its electricity by burning coal in 2020, according to a report issued by Forum Energii in 2021.
     A NuScale project in the U.S. had to be cancelled because the cost of the project rose from three billion to nine billion dollars in just four years. In addition, NuScale was accused of misrepresenting information about the project to investors. It announced a big project with Standard Power to construct a NuScale power plant with multiple NuScale reactors to provide power for two data centers. Iceberg Research reported that an analysis of power needs for the Standard Power data center indicated that the proposed NuScale plant would produce far more electricity than the project required. Iceberg Research also reported that Standard Power did not have sufficient funding to pay for the proposed NuScale power plant.
Please read Part 2 next