https://www.atse.org.au/news/new-report-reveals-technical-and-mar...

https://www.atse.org.au/news/new-report-reveals-technical-and-market-implications-for-small-modular-nuclear-reactors-in-australia/

new report from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has found the nascent state of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) globally means that a mature market for the technology may emerge in the late 2040s. 

The technology is yet to be proven technically and financially, given there is currently a dearth of reliable, publicly verifiable information about operational full-scale prototype SMRs around the world.

As current coal-fired power stations begin to retire and there is an urgent need for mature, low carbon technologies to fill the energy supply gap, the time it will take to establish a mature SMR market, including appropriate legislative and regulatory settings, means that it won’t be possible to fill this gap with SMR technology this decade.

The least risky option for Australia would be to procure SMRs once several models have been established and are proven and operational in other OECD countries.