Prospects of small modular reactors in the Middle East -

Abstract

Small modular reactors are around one third the size of larger nuclear reactors having a capacity of 300 MW or less and in some cases, can be superior to the conventional reactors. The primary purpose of this paper is to determine the feasibility of installing small modular reactors (SMRs) in select countries in the Middle East region. The countries under study are Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. SMR suitability will be measured using the GDP, electricity grid size, CO2 emissions, population density, economic growth, nuclear capacity and Uranium resources of the 6 countries under study. From the results that will be obtained, SMRs will prove to be a feasible or unfeasible option for installation in these countries. Another focus of the paper will be on gathering extensive and thorough information from trusted sources on the complete history of small modular reactors in these countries.