EU bets on small nuclear reactors despite cost and safety concerns

worldnuclearreport.org

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The EU Commission wants to promote small modular reactors. However, these pose no fewer risks than conventional nuclear power plants. Commentary by Bernward Janzing • March 10, 2026. It's déjà vu. Let's look back to the 1980s: Siemens subsidiaries KWU and Interatom were working on a small high-temperature reactor, called the "HTR module." Several companies showed interest in testing it, including the chemical company Hoechst and the East German …