A simplified design, low operating temperatures and low operating pressures, and fewer moving parts means using a small modular reactor (SMR) to solely power district heating will face a more streamlined licensing procedure and lower manufacturing costs, researchers told Nuclear Energy Insider.

VTT Technical Research Center in Finland has already begun the first phase of a project to develop such an SMR with a conceptual design for a plant that can power the heating networks of Finnish cities of any size. They hope to have a licensed and operational product by the end of the decade, they say, according to Nuclear Energy Insider.

Nuclear power is already the primary source of electricity generation in Finland, accounting for just over a third of the country’s production and, with the vast majority of homes in the capital Helsinki warmed through district heat, the use of nuclear reactors to power that heating could be a perfect fit.

Finland aims to phase out coal in energy production by 2029, and in a country where the average temperature is below 10C through more than six months of the year, simplified SMRs designed specifically for district heating is one of the few options available.

“All SMR concepts aim to benefit from simplified design. When you have simpler design and fewer moving parts, it means it’s easier to demonstrate and that helps with public acceptance,” says VTT Research professor for reactor safety Jaakko Leppanen.