How might we deploy small and micro-modular reactors so that remote, off-grid, or mission-critical sites can achieve true energy sovereignty?

Traditional nuclear plants are massive: 1,000+ MW capacity, multi-billion dollar price tags, decade-long construction timelines, and footprints requiring grid-scale transmission infrastructure. This makes them impossible for remote mines, military bases, island communities, or industrial facilities that need reliable power but can't support gigawatt-scale generation. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Micro Modular Reactors (MMRs) change this equation by offering nuclear power in right-sized packages: 1-300 MW capacity, factory-built modules, simplified designs, and the ability to operate independently or in clusters.

These reactors can be deployed where the grid doesn't reach or can't be trusted: Arctic research stations, deep-sea mining operations, forward military bases, disaster recovery sites, or critical manufacturing facilities. They offer true energy sovereignty — the ability to generate reliable power independent of external infrastructure. But realizing this vision requires overcoming regulatory barriers designed for large plants, developing new supply chains for factory production, training operators for distributed deployment, and proving that small reactors can be as safe and economical as their larger predecessors.

The idea of small nuclear reactors isn't new — the first nuclear power plant, the U.S. Army's SM-1 reactor at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, produced just 2 MW when it began operation in 1957. The Navy has operated small reactors in submarines and aircraft carriers for decades, demonstrating that compact nuclear power can be safe and reliable. But the civilian nuclear industry evolved toward larger plants because of economy of scale: doubling a plant's capacity didn't double its cost, so bigger became better. By the 1990s, the standard design was around 1,000 MW, too large for most applications beyond major grid interconnection points.

Interest in SMRs revived in the 2000s, driven by several factors. First, the difficulty of siting and financing large nuclear plants made smaller, more modular designs attractive. Second, remote communities and industrial facilities faced increasing electricity costs and grid unreliability, creating demand for distributed power sources. Third, advances in materials science, digital instrumentation, and passive safety systems made it possible to design reactors that were simpler and safer than previous generations. And fourth, concerns about climate change renewed interest in carbon-free baseload power that could complement variable renewable energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy began supporting SMR development in 2012, providing cost-share funding for several designs. NuScale became the first SMR to receive design certification from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2020, a 77 MW pressurized water reactor designed to be deployed in clusters of up to 12 modules. Other companies pursued different approaches: molten salt reactors, high-temperature gas reactors, and fast reactors. Each offered different advantages in terms of size, fuel efficiency, waste production, and operating temperature.

But commercialization has proven difficult. NuScale's first project, the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems plant, was canceled in 2023 after costs escalated from $3 billion to over $9 billion. The challenge wasn't technical — it was economic and regulatory. The NRC's licensing process, designed for large plants, imposed costs and timelines that undermined the economics of small reactors. Manufacturing supply chains didn't exist for factory-built modules. And utilities, accustomed to large centralized plants, struggled to understand the business model for distributed nuclear power.

The market opportunity became clearer as energy demands evolved. Tech companies building AI data centers need hundreds of megawatts of reliable power in specific locations, often where grid capacity is limited. Mining companies operating in remote locations spend enormous sums on diesel generation. Military bases seeking energy resilience can't depend on civilian grids. These customers value reliability and independence more than lowest-cost energy, creating a market willing to pay premium prices for the right solution. If SMRs can be deployed with predictable costs and timelines, they could unlock billions in revenue while solving critical energy challenges.