Year
2023
File Attachment
finalpaper_343_0512032048.pdf213.16 KB
Abstract
In recent years, small modular reactors (SMRs) have gained wide interest in the nuclear industry around
the world. In Canada, SMRs are considered as an advanced technology to meet energy requirements and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently more than 10 SMR designs have been proposed in Canada with
potential deployment to on-grid, and remote off-grid areas. Natural Resources Canada engaged stakeholders
across Canada to develop a roadmap on the future of SMRs to support SMR development. Global First
Power has filed a licence to prepare site application to build a Micro Modular Reactor at Canadian Nuclear
Laboratories, and in January 2022, Ontario Power Generation announced its selection of the GE-H BWRX300 SMR to be built at Darlington site.
In the proposed SMRs, various novel fuel forms, designs, and deployment models are pursued by the
vendors. These new features of SMRs may introduce challenges to safety, security, and safeguards due to
limited operational experience with these reactors. To address these potential challenges, the Canadian
Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) issued a discussion paper on SMRs in 2016 and optimized regulatory
framework to regulate the SMRs in future. The CNSC also offers a pre-licensing vendor design review
(VDR) as an optional service in which the safeguards by design (SBD) principle is applied by vendors in
the SMR designs. Currently, nine vendors have applied such VDR on their SMRs. The CNSC encourages
the vendors to apply the SBD approach and engages the IAEA and vendors to ensure that safeguards is
considered in their SMR’s design and the regulatory requirements can be met in the operating of these
SMRs. This paper discusses the SMR development, pre-licensing VDR, potential safeguards challenges,
and the application of SBD in Canada.