Regional Leadership and Global Pathways for SMRs

Held Tuesday 11th November | 15:00 | IAEA Atoms4Climate Pavilion, Blue Zone

This COP30 session brought together international experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore how Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) can support rising electricity demand, strengthen energy security, and accelerate global decarbonisation.

The event opened with remarks from Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy at the IAEA, who highlighted the growing global interest in SMRs and the potential they hold for countries at different stages of their energy transitions.

Key Themes & Discussion Highlights

Real-world pathways from design to deployment
Jonathan Cobb, Senior Programme Lead for Climate at World Nuclear Association, underscored the importance of moving from SMR concepts to actual builds. He also stressed the need for regulatory harmonisation to reduce duplication, enable international cooperation, and support timely deployment.

Regional needs, shared challenges
Panelists — Professor Francesco Corvaro (Italian Special Envoy), Nawal Yousif Alhanaee (Director of Future Energy department, UAE), Jonathan Ramos Oliveira (Member of BRICS Young Expert Group on Nuclear Energy and Technologies of the BRICS Youth Energy Agency), and Celso Cunha (President, ABDAN) — discussed the diverse regional motivations for adopting SMRs, from decarbonising industrial clusters to delivering reliable power in fast-growing economies. Despite differing national contexts, panellists agreed that SMRs have a vital role to play in meeting climate commitments and supporting resilient, low-carbon energy systems.

A timely solution for an urgent global moment
With electricity demand rising worldwide and pressure mounting to replace fossil fuels, speakers reiterated that nuclear energy — including SMRs — offers a scalable, dependable solution. SMRs, with their flexible designs and smaller footprints, can be deployed in regions where traditional large-scale nuclear power plants may not be feasible.

For more information on Small Modular Reactors, explore the World Nuclear Association Information Library.​

Access

This session took place in the COP30 Blue Zone.

For details on the wider programme of COP30 Action Agenda events, please see the UNFCCC overview schedule.

For more information about World Nuclear Association’s activities at COP30, visit the Net Zero Nuclear events page.