Press Release

Small modular reactors in the Dutch energy system - Combined heat and power production in industry - 15 November 2024

In a joint project, TNO and NRG PALLAS investigated the potential role of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in the Dutch energy system. With NRG PALLAS' expertise in innovative reactor technologies and TNO’s energy system model OPERA, it was demonstrated that there is an important role for small nuclear reactors in the Dutch energy transition.

SMRs can make a substantial contribution to CO2 reduction from large-scale industrial processes by providing process heat. The study shows that deployment of 2 to more than 13 SMRs in 2050. This depends on future industrial activity in the Netherlands, and the heat demand of, for example, refineries and chemical production plants.

In the future Dutch energy system, electricity will play a larger role than it does today and nuclear power plants, including SMRs, can be used to make a significant contribution to electricity production. An earlier TNO scenario study already showed that in an energy system without new nuclear power plants, system costs would be 1% to 2.5% higher than with nuclear power. Although nuclear power plants are initially more expensive than wind turbines and solar panels, the omission of nuclear power as an energy source would have to be met with deployment of more expensive flexibility options, such as energy storage.