Commercializing SMRs and Micro Reactors

Across North America, utilities are facing a historic surge in load growth driven by industrial electrification, energy security requirements, and the rapid expansion of data centers. While Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and microreactors are central to meeting this demand, a critical "deployment gap" remains. Most projects are currently stalled in the transition between regulatory approval and final investment decisions. The industry has moved past the question of technical feasibility; the primary obstacle today is commercial execution. High capital costs, supply chain uncertainties for fuel (HALEU), and complex risk allocation between partners continue to delay the transition from demonstration to commercial operation.

The Commercializing SMRs & Microreactors Conference is a utility-driven program designed to bridge this gap with practical, field-tested strategies.

• Develop contracting structures that satisfy investors while protecting utility rate-payers
• Navigate the specific NRC pathways and local permitting hurdles required for retired fossil sites and industrial campuses
• Transition organizational governance from traditional large-scale nuclear operations to a repeatable, standardized SMR fleet model
• Evaluate the realistic speed of deployment against the urgent timelines of high-load industrial customers

Join industry peers, federal regulators, and strategic partners for a reality check on what it takes to move nuclear projects from the plan to the grid.

• Evaluate how reactor design choices directly impact project risk and investor confidence
• Identify the specific sectors where near-term demand for SMRs is most bankable, including AI data centers and industrial hydrogen production
• Contrast the rapid construction cycles of modular data centers with the multi-year licensing and deployment projections for advanced nuclear reactors
• Differentiate between thermal and fast spectrum designs to determine how coolant choices and factory fabrication impact bankability
• Analyze long-term O&M requirements and outage strategies to build a realistic 60-year economic profile for advanced reactor fleets
• Categorize the various NRC pathways (Part 50, 52, 53) to determine the most efficient siting strategies for retired fossil sites and industrial campuses
• Assess a staffing model that addresses nuclear workforce shortages while preparing utilities for the transition to nuclear ownership
• Analyze innovative financing models, such as tax equity and public-private partnerships, to align investor expectations with operational realities
• Leverage tax equity and innovative public-private partnership models to align project financing with utility rate-payer protections
• Estimate the cost-curve transition from First-of-a-Kind to Next-of-a-Kind
• Estimate the cost-reduction pathways achieved through design standardization and factory throughput scaling
• Construct a framework for effective collaboration between technology developers and utilities to accelerate commercial development.
• Evaluate the long-term O&M costs and outage intervals associated with maintaining advanced reactor fleets over a 60-year lifecycle
• Compare which technologies will reach commercial operation first based on current policy trends and the transition from FOAK to NOAK