Europe should jointly invest in a first wave of small modular reactor (SMR) projects across member states and involve regions from the earliest stages of planning, a representative of the Dutch province of Gelderland has said.

Ans Mol, deputy executive of the province, told the European committee of the regions, a key EU advisory body representing municipalities and regions from all EU member states, that the benefits of SMRs can only be fully realised if reactors are built to common standards and deployed in series.

Gelderland said Europe needs more low-carbon energy to ensure a reliable and affordable energy supply, support industrial decarbonisation, and reduce dependence on energy imported from other parts of the world. “Small modular reactors can play an important role in achieving these goals,” Mol said.