Development of SMR/AMR in the United States and the United Kingdom - Part 1: SMRs/AMRs in the United States

Jan Bartak, Chairman of NucAdvisor

Introduction

At the beginning of 2026, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency identified 127 SMR/AMR1 concepts under development worldwide, compared to 98 in 2024. The United States dominated this landscape with more than 40 identified concepts. Among Western countries, the United States and the United Kingdom stood out for the scale and ambition of their nuclear revival policies.

In the United States, the strategy favouring innovative reactors is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, making it increasingly complex to keep up with legislative, regulatory, and industrial developments. This momentum is largely driven by major digital companies and the federal government, in the context of strong growth in electricity demand, primarily linked to the rapid development of artificial intelligence and data centres.

In the United Kingdom, electricity prices are among the highest in Europe, largely due to its continued reliance on gas. To strengthen national resilience, the government is implementing a proactive, pragmatic, pro-investment, and pro-energy sovereignty nuclear policy, with a strong focus on decarbonization, security of supply, regulatory acceleration and simplification, and by mobilizing substantial public funding. The strategy covers large power reactors, including the Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C projects with two EPRs each, as well as SMRs/AMRs and the development of fuel cycle capacity.

This two-part article analyses in more detail the developments in the small modular reactor sector in the United States (Part 1) and the United Kingdom (Part 2).

SMR US UK_V4_Part1_US_EN.pdf

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