Nuclear Safeguards via Remote Monitoring of Small Modular Reactors Deployed in
Canada’s North and Remote Regions

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are an enabling technology that supports all four pillars of the Government of Canada’s “Northern Strategy”: sovereignty, environmental protection, economic development, and self-governance. The deployment of SMRs in Canada’s northern and remote communities is also a key component of Canada’s roadmap for SMRs. The deployment of SMRs in such communities presents challenges to traditional safeguards approaches (e.g., nuclear material accountancy, verification, and containment and surveillance), some of which can be addressed through remote monitoring. A literature review of currently employed remote monitoring approaches is presented, along with potential new approaches. Furthermore, we describe an assessment of where these approaches might be implemented in the North for likely SMR deployment in the near future. Various aspects of remote monitoring will be considered, such as unattended remote monitoring systems (URMS), methods for secure remote data transmission, and current and required infrastructure for reliable data transmission and digital connectivity in remote regions. Different components of safeguards that URMS could support are considered. Remote monitoring can also play a role in the effective integration of safeguards with safety and security. Overall, the applicability of these aspects to remote regions of Canada for SMRs will be discussed, and areas that require further development will be highlighted.