The Current Status and Success Factors of Small Reactor Development

The Paris Agreement was signed to reduce GHG(greenhouse gas) emission and prevent global climate change. Accordingly Korea also set national object for gas emission reduction and is now developing detailed implementation plan. It is necessary to replace the fossil fuel of conventional fossil plants and factories with low-carbon fuel. In this paper, as one of solutions to reduce GHG, small reactor is reviewed in terms of development status and success factors. Small reactor can provide solution for high cost and construction delay issue of large nuclear power plant and intermittency issue of renewable energy. To achieve competitiveness in market, small reactor need to be low cost and flexible distributed power generation. Simple design, short construction time with standardization and inhouse manufacturing of major equipments can make it more competitive. And globally harmonized regulation rule is needed to standardize major equipments and achieve mass manufacturing economy of small reactor.