On April 5-6, 2022, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) supported a two-day hybrid event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Ankara, Turkey. The Eurasia Small Modular Reactor Forum described potential sustainable energy strategies using small modular reactor (SMR) technology in the United States, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The Forum highlighted the utility of SMR technology in power generation diversification; featured new technological developments in the U.S. and Europe; and provided insights regarding regulations, standards, and financing. Several U.S. companies presented their innovative SMR technologies and discussed ways in which their technology may serve the energy needs of the region.
The first day of the Forum featured opening remarks from the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, the Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey. Following these opening remarks, representatives from the Office of Energy and Environmental Industries of the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Nuclear Industry Council, and the Nuclear Energy Institute discussed SMR technology developments in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Following this session, representatives from the Turkish Energy, Nuclear, and Mining Research Agency (TENMAK), Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants Company (KNPP), and the Uzbekistan Agency for the Development of Nuclear Energy (UzAtom) discussed the role of SMRs in the future energy plans of their countries. Finally, representatives from GE Hitachi, Holtec, NuScale, Oklo, and TerraPower discussed their SMR and advanced reactor designs.
The second day of the Forum included a panel discussion on SMR regulatory developments featuring Mr. Djalil Yusopov of the State Committee on Industrial Safety of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mr. Stewart Magruder of AdSTM, Inc., (representing the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Mr. Magruder gave a brief presentation on the fundamentals of nuclear reactor regulation, the differences between SMRs and large light-water reactors, and NRC’s regulatory approach for SMRs.