Paul Stein CBE has said the international shift towards Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which are more flexible and cost-effective than large reactors, offers real opportunity for global decarbonisation.  

Speaking to a delegation of over 450 Irish and international engineering leaders at the Engineers Ireland conference in the Convention Centre in Dublin, UK engineer and nuclear expert Paul Stein, CBE, the Chairman of Rolls-Royce, Small Modular Reactors, said: “SMRs offer a highly competitive source of continuous clean energy.  With enhanced safety and security built in, their relatively small size compared to the conventional nuclear plant means they take up less than a tenth of the space, require significantly less capital outlay, need less staff, and are not exposed to the vagaries of construction in the open environment, yet still provide a safe, robust, and reliable carbon-free energy source. The whole of Europe finds itself in an energy crisis, and clean-energy from SMRs offers real potential to support a country’s national grid and safeguard key economic areas relating to heating, data centres, and heavy industry, as well as complementing the production of e-fuels to drive sustainable economic progress.

“The demand for electricity will continue to grow in any reasonable future scenario, and fossil fuel waste demonstrably impacts our climate negatively as we all know.  By comparison the amount of nuclear waste from an SMR is minute and is managed safely and securely. Wind and solar are intermittent renewables that require a back-up source of energy such as storage, but this option is technically challenging, at scale.  In a nutshell, with public and political support, nuclear has got to be in the energy mix if we are to reduce the global use of fossil fuels, which is critical for decarbonisation.”

Combating climate change, Ireland’s ‘blue energy’ potential, Helsinki’s new metro extension and a Super Grid for Europe were also issues discussed throughout the conference which was titled ‘Engineering in a time of challenge: innovation, decarbonisation and the role of engineers’.  The conference was opened by Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, TD.

John Power, Engineers Ireland President, said: “In the midst of our current climate and energy crisis, perhaps it’s time to reawaken this discussion on nuclear energy in an informed, mature, and balanced manner. We, as engineers, need to be innovative in relation to the provision of energy while keeping climate change, and its effects, to the forefront of our minds.  The extensive use of fossil fuels has created an enormous challenge for all of us.  Ireland needs to be pragmatic in relation to our decarbonisation goals, and this should include re-examining legislative restrictions that preclude the generation of nuclear energy in this country under the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 (Section 18).  Innovative approaches like the use of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors need to be given real consideration if we are serious about mitigating the real prospect of energy shortages in the years ahead.”

The hybrid conference in the Convention Centre, Dublin featured contributions from a range of other domestic and international speakers including John FitzGerald, adjunct Professor of Economics at TCD and member of the Climate Change Advisory Council; Dr Val Cummins and Magnus Rosenblad, Simply Blue; Matias Johansson, CFO Länsimetro (West Metro in Helsinki); Dr Eddie O'Connor, Chair of SuperNode; Róisín Quinn, OBE, engineer, Director of Customer Connections, National Grid, England and Scotland; Dr Meadhbh Connolly, Senior Manager, Future Opportunities in ESB Generation and Trading; Dr Magdalena Hajdukiewicz, CEng, Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, University of Galway and Michael Quinn, Director of Engineering at Ardmac.

Damien Owens, Acting Director General of Engineers Ireland added: “This conference today has once again presented an invaluable opportunity to highlight the best of Irish and global engineering.  In addition to the thought-provoking information- and idea-exchange, we have been able to explore best practice in terms of the deployment of innovative and creative approaches to society’s biggest challenges by our ambitious engineering companies and organisations.  Engineers have a key role to play in the transition to a net-zero, carbon-free society, with the myriad thought-leaders here today also helping our planning in terms of Ireland plotting a course towards a more sustainable future.”