| Issue |
Radioprotection
Volume 61, Number 1, Janvier-Mars 2026
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 11 - 12 | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/radiopro/2025045 | |
| Published online | 20 mars 2026 | |
Letters
Addressing concerns about radiological protection and safety in a context of emerging nuclear technologies
Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology (INR), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
* Corresponding author: Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.
Received:
31
October
2025
Accepted:
18
November
2025
Abstract
With the increasing energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI), advanced and small modular reactors (AMRs/SMRs) are emerging as new nuclear technologies. While raising safety and environmental concerns, SMR designs focus on enhanced intrinsic and passive safety features. Deployment of nuclear facilities is governed by rigorous national and international regulations, including non-proliferation safeguards. In addition to technical safety demonstrations, transparent communication and public engagement are essential for achieving societal acceptance. Initiatives such as the CATAPULT project from the PIANOFORTE Parternship of the European Union are systematically studying how to adapt Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) frameworks to these technologies, taking into account both technical and societal factors.
Key words: small modular reactor / radiation protection / nuclear safety / CATAPULT
© M.E. Cazado et al., Published by EDP Sciences 2026
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
In the framework of increasing energy requirements of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the development of innovative nuclear technologies, especially Advanced and Small Modular Reactors (AMRs and SMRs), concerns have been raised in recent scientific and public discussions (Andrade, 2026). Indeed, any nuclear facility must be considered with regard to safety, environmental assessments, and societal acceptance.
It is important to recognize that SMRs design philosophy is focused on enhanced intrinsic safety characteristics and robust engineered safety systems. These includes passive safety mechanisms (Hussein, 2020), such as coolant natural circulation and gravity-driven injection water, that work without external power, and the development of accident-tolerant fuels (ATFs) (Tulkki et al., 2025). These features aim to strengthen radiological protection by improving core damage resistance and mitigating fission product release under normal and hypothetical accident conditions.
In addition, the decentralization model for power generation does not inherently imply a weakening of the radiological risks control: SMRs deployment, as for any other nuclear power facility, remains subject to rigorous national regulations and international safeguards that oversee nuclear material transport and non-proliferation (NEA/OECD, 2021).
Having this in mind, after the technical demonstration of the safety performance of the designs, transparent communication and public engagement are a key aspect to provide sustaining confidence in radiation protection. In Europe, these issues are being systematically studied. As an example, the CATAPULT project, within the EU-funded PIANOFORTE partnership, is devoted to investigate how Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) frameworks can be adapted to AMR and SMR technologies, while considering their societal and ethical aspects (CATAPULT, 2025).
In conclusion, while AI-driven increasing energy needs is renewing the interest in nuclear technologies, the radiological protection community (e.g., via CATAPULT) is proactively addressing these challenges to ensure that safety and societal concerns remains central to future nuclear energy developments.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. Sara Perez-Martin (INR-KIT) for her valuable insights.
Funding
This work was supported by the CATAPULT project, which has received funding from the PIANOFORTE partnership funded from the European Union’s “EURATOM” research and innovation program under the 101061037 grant agreement.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data Availability
The research data associated with this article are included within the article.
Ethics approval
Ethical approval was not required.
Informed consent
This article does not contain any studies involving human subjects.
References
- Andrade ER. 2026. The energy requirements of artificial intelligence supplied by innovative types of nuclear power plants may create substantial vulnerabilities in radiation protection for populations. Radioprotection 61 (1): xx–xx. [Google Scholar]
- CATAPULT. 2025. Comprehensive Assessment and Preparedness for Emerging Nuclear Technologies, https://pianoforte-partnership.eu/catapult/ [Google Scholar]
- Hussein EMA. 2020 Emerging small modular nuclear power reactors: a critical review. Phys Open 5: 100038. [Google Scholar]
- NEA/OECD. 2021. Small Modular Reactors: Challenges and Opportunities, Nuclear Technology Development and Economics. [Google Scholar]
- Tulkki V, Sánchez-Espinoza VH, Sobecki N. 2025. Main goals and research outcomes of the EU Projects ELSMOR, McSAFER, and EASI-SMR: regulatory, experimental and analytical safety-related investigations. EPJ Nuclear Sci Technol 11: 33. [Google Scholar]
Cite this article as: Cazado ME, Murat O, Gabrielli F. 2026. Addressing concerns about radiological protection and safety in a context of emerging nuclear technologies. Radioprotection 61(1): 11–12. https://doi.org/10.1051/radiopro/2025045
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