nucleareurope moderates panel discussion on SMRs supply chain adaptation at Czech-Polish event
On 7 May 2025, nucleareurope Policy Director Andrei Goicea moderated a panel discussion on supply chain adaptation under the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as part of a Prague-held conference entitled “Poland and the Czech Republic: leading the way in the implementation of SMR technologies in Europe”. The event gathered Czech, Polish and other European experts in SMR technologies and nuclear policy to discuss current developments in the field.
During the panel discussion, Andrei highlighted recent policy developments relating to nuclear, such as the inclusion of nuclear in the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and the Net-Zero Industry Act, the creation of the European Industrial alliance on SMRs, and the creation of the Nuclear Alliance of Member States. He added that key policy files relating to nuclear are expected in the near future: these include the updated Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC) and the Nuclear Important Project for Common European Interest (IPCEI).
“The past few years have seen significant developments for nuclear, on the policy front, but also on the political front, with an increasing number of member States supporting nuclear, and announcing plans to invest in new nuclear or to continue using existing capacities. The Nuclear Alliance objective of 150 Gigawatt (GW) of nuclear installed capacity by 2050 seems achievable, with current projections for nuclear capacity in National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and recent announcements pointing towards 143 GW of nuclear installed capacity in 2050” noted Andrei, adding that this represents significant investments for the nuclear industry, both for large reactors and for SMRs.
Andrei however stressed that such investments require a technology neutral policy framework, which addresses key issues on supply chain, skills, financing and regulatory topics. He added that cooperation between policymakers, industrial stakeholders, regulators and end users will be essential for the development of SMRs in Europe, with the objective of deploying the first SMRs in the 2030s.