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The NEA organised a workshop on initial estimation of back-end costs for small modular reactors (SMRs) and Generation IV technologies.

This topic has gained significant attention within both the Committee for Decommissioning and Legacy Management (CDLM) and Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC), reflecting a growing interest from NEA Member Countries.

The CDLM Expert Group on Costing for Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (EGCDL) is responsible for the organisation of the event.

The workshop will bring together experts from:

• nuclear decommissioning;
• back-end and waste management;
• regulatory affairs;
• facility operations; and,
• vendor companies and private industry.

The workshop was a collaborative space where experts helped tackle the unique challenges of back-end cost estimation for next-generation nuclear technologies, exploring how novel fuels, designs and waste streams reshape traditional approaches, with aims to inform future ideas for work across industry and for diverse stakeholders.

It aimed to develop preliminary guidelines that compiled current best practices. These guidelines should help key stakeholders understand critical decommissioning and waste management considerations from the design phase onwards.

1. Pioneering discussion forum:

• Create a collaborative space where experts can help tackle the unique challenges of decommissioning cost estimation for next-generation nuclear technologies, exploring how novel fuels, designs and waste streams reshape traditional approaches, with aims to inform future ideas for work across industry and for diverse stakeholders.

2. Cross-industry strategic dialogue:

• Facilitate dynamic conversations among stakeholders that go beyond technical aspects to address critical regulatory requirements and financial assurance mechanisms—questions that will determine the economic viability of these technologies.

3. Decoding SMR/GEN IV complexity:

• Unpack the distinctive features of small modular reactors and Generation IV designs to reveal how these innovations fundamentally alter backend management strategies, identifying crucial questions that must be answered to develop reliable cost estimation methods.

4. Learning from history to shape the future:

• Critically examine lessons from traditional nuclear decommissioning projects to prevent repeating costly mistakes and create more efficient pathways for emerging technologies.

5. Bridging divides among stakeholders:

• Foster earlier and more meaningful collaboration between technology vendors and the decommissioning community, ensuring end-of-life considerations influence designs from the earliest development stages.

6. Navigating the regulatory landscape:

• Illuminate how existing regulatory frameworks should inform early SMR/Gen IV development decisions, with special focus on streamlining licensing processes, decommissioning planning, and establishing appropriate financial guarantees.

Workshop format

This was a three-day workshop. The workshop will have presentations from relevant experts in the fields of SMR technologies, decommissioning and waste management activities, cost estimation methodologies, financial assurances and guarantees and dedicated panel sessions along with a breakout session where all the participants worked on understanding, brainstorming, and providing solutions for key issues.

Topics to be addressed by the workshop programme

• Topic 1: Current Status of SMR/Gen IV Technologies and Impact on Backend Management
• Topic 2: Waste and Backend Management for SMR/Gen IV Technologies
• Topic 3: Decommissioning Strategies for SMR/Gen IV Technologies
• Topic 4: Cost Estimation Methodologies
• Topic 5: Regulatory Challenges and Financial Assurances

The workshop was a public event open to all. Please feel free to contact the NEA Secretariat for further information and any queries.