The Global Race to Deploy Small Modular Reactors

As of May 2026, 39 small modular reactor programs across 13 countries are competing to deliver the next generation of nuclear power. 2 reactors are already operating commercially — China's HTR-PM (210 MWe, the world's first Gen IV commercial reactor) and Russia's Akademik Lomonosov (70 MWe floating plant). On the commercial side, GE-Hitachi's BWRX-300 is under construction at Darlington, Ontario, Canada (CNSC licence issued April 2025) and well advanced in US NRC licensing. TerraPower's Natrium received its NRC construction permit in March 2026 — the first Gen IV reactor to achieve this milestone in the US. Several non-commercial demonstration and DOE test facility reactors (Aalo-X, Hermes, Valar Ward 250) are also under construction but operate under DOE authorization, not commercial NRC licenses. Another 13 designs are in regulatory licensing with the NRC, CNSC, and UK ONR, while 11 remain in earlier development stages.