Innovating Technology, Communication, and Governance – The Case of SMR

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

In an age of insatiable appetite for electricity, Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology has emerged as a potentially viable complement to traditional nuclear infrastructure and renewable energy. The key features of SMR technology, such as its small size and modular construction, make it suitable for rapid manufacture and deployment as well as local customization and safety enhancement, all of which contribute to the on-site generation and management of electricity.

With more than 80 designs under development, latest research and policy discussions on energy portfolios around the world are paying close attention to the technological potential of SMRs, while assessing potential pitfalls and risks in the development and deployment process of this innovative technology.

This session explores the interplay of technology, communication, and governance focusing on emerging issues surrounding the latest evolution of SMR technology. Despite being carbon-free, nuclear power is one of the most controversial technologies with clear political cleavages in many countries. The public communication and governance of SMR technology may suffer from similar political conflicts unless we learn from the past mistakes and failures in the management of large-scale nuclear power plants.

With the four papers examining the economic feasibility, public acceptance, and governance challenges of the deployment of SMR, this session is expected to revive and stimulate both academic and practical debates on key concepts and issues at the interface of technology, innovation, and policy-making.

Policy Area

• Innovations in Science and Technology

Secondary Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Chair

• So Young Kim, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Discussant

• Brian Y. An, Georgia Institute of Technology

Organizer

• Jisu Woo, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Individual Presentations

• Techno-Economic Viability and Challenges of Small Modular Reactors: A Comparative Cost Analysis - Presenting Author: Philseo Kim, Pohang University of Science and Technology

• Rethinking Public Acceptance: Coexistence with Next-Generation Nuclear Energy and Renewables - Presenting Author: Jisu Woo, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Junho Kwon, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Non-Presenting Co-Author: So Young Kim, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

• Calibrating the Operation and Maintenance Costs for SMRs - Presenting Author: Isabel Naranjo De Candido, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Governance Without Governance: The Paradox of Superposed Citizenship in Korea’s Nuclear Waste Politics - Presenting Author: Hyomin _ Kim, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology