By Kate McAlpine Nuclear energy has long been considered essential for meeting growing global energy demands, but the potential expansion of advanced nuclear energy systems, like small modular reactors, creates—and in some cases reinforces—problems that technological solutions alone will not be able to fix. A new report from the University of Michigan lays out implications of the…
By Kate McAlpine
Nuclear energy has long been considered essential for meeting growing global energy demands, but the potential expansion of advanced nuclear energy systems, like small modular reactors, creates—and in some cases reinforces—problems that technological solutions alone will not be able to fix.
A new report from the University of Michigan lays out implications of the widespread adoption of small modular reactors and other advanced nuclear reactors. It also provides policy recommendations for the governance of SMRs and the uranium supply chain to maximize public benefit from this stable, carbon-free electricity source while minimizing harm. A webinar on the report will be held at noon ET Dec. 11, 2025.
“Unfairness acts through technology in ways that are often invisible, and our research helped us see the complex challenges that advanced nuclear energy introduces, and which demand proactive governance,” said Denia Djokić, assistant research scientist in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences and principal investigator of the project.
“By learning from history, this report offers policy frameworks that align with democratic values, prioritizing societal equity and environmental protection while mitigating negative consequences. We aim to hold energy policy to high standards so that SMRs serve the public interest and don’t harm the most vulnerable. If implemented effectively, this could help mitigate public mistrust of new nuclear technology.”
The report by the Technology Assessment Project of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy uses a method that examines cases of past technologies to anticipate the implications of emerging technologies.
“We tend to assume that we cannot anticipate the implications of novel technologies like SMRs, and therefore cannot avoid their risks and harms,” said Shobita Parthasarathy, a senior author of the report, director of STPP and the Technology Assessment Project and a professor of public policy. “But this is incorrect. There are patterns in how technologies are built and affect society, and understanding this and acting proactively enable us to steer technologies toward maximum benefit.”
To make good on their promises, policies should ensure that the global nuclear industry protects the public and the environment and shares in the benefits. This includes oversight of technologies, incentive structures and regulation, such as:
These projects should also offer direct benefits to communities and the power to decide what risks they will tolerate, through mechanisms like:
Rather than treading familiar ground in the nuclear industry, such as Fukushima, Chernobyl or Three Mile Island, the research team looked for analogies from other fields, collecting about 40 historical case studies of technologies in society—similar to advanced nuclear energy in form, function or potential impacts. They showed both the many ways technology creates negative, unintended consequences as well as regulations that proved effective.
“This project shows that it is possible to anticipate the implications of new technologies, and gives new perspective on how we can make meaningful change in the face of looming problems,” said Nora Lewis, first author of the report and a graduate of the public policy program at the U-M Ford School.
Based on patterns in the case studies, the report finds that while SMRs have the potential to benefit countries and communities, without robust governance they are likely to have significant negative social impacts, including:
“Technology needs to work, but the most important thing is that it works for people,” said Txai Sibley, a co-author of the report and recent graduate in materials science and engineering at the U-M College of Engineering.
Additional authors of the report are Nicholas Stubblefield, a graduate of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences; Michael Redmond, a graduate of climate and space sciences and engineering; and Molly Kleinman, managing director of STPP.
Report: The Reactor Around the Corner: Understanding Advanced Nuclear Energy Futures