Small modular reactors are poised to play an integral role in the US state of Washington’s emerging clean energy future by helping to fill a power source gap soon to be left by carbon-emitting resources like coal and natural gas, which will be phased out in coming years, according to a new report.

The report, by researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, assesses various planned SMR projects in the US and explores the viability of deploying the reactors at three locations, including the Idaho National Laboratory site, where Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (Uamps) plans to build the first NuScale SMR.