Small modular reactors (SMRs) are gaining traction as a pathway to low-carbon electricity generation combining
simplified fabrication, shortened construction, and reduced capital lead times compared to large gigawatt-scale
reactors. Despite these operational advantages, the full cradle-to-grave environmental implications of SMR
radioactive waste streams remain under-examined, leaving a knowledge gap in the sustainability profiling of
these emerging modular technologies. This PhD project seeks to fill this gap by quantifying and comparing
environmental performance across various management routes for SMR radioactive waste streams, thereby
guiding technology selection and policy decisions to minimize environmental impacts, resource consumption,
and long-term radiological risks. This research involves a cooperation between TalTech and the University of
Manchester and will pursue a detailed case study of a nuclear power programme deploying two GE-Hitachi
BWRX-300 SMRs in a nuclear newcomer country such as Estonia. Vendor data and preliminary regulatory filings
for the BWRX-300 units will be used to generate realistic waste-stream inventories to ground the comparative
LCA. An objective of this research is to identify and quantify sustainability hotspots across different management
routes for SMR-derived radioactive wastes. To capture a representative spectrum of waste management options,
representative technologies will be considered for low-, intermediate-, and high-level radioactive waste streams.
The outcome will reveal which radioactive waste management stages (e.g., treatment, conditioning, storage,
transport, repository construction, long-term radiological controls) impose the greatest material and energy
demands. The project will apply a consistent LCA framework following the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards,
employing a state-of-the-art impact assessment method such as ReCiPe 2016 alongside the UCrad model for
radiological effects. This work will significantly contribute to developing a holistic perspective on SMR waste
management and informing technology and policy decisions based on an environmental, social and health
impact assessment (ESHIA) methods aligned with the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Implementation of this approach is an ambitious and challenging task to fulfill, having important impacts in terms of
cutting-edge interdisciplinary academic publications and practical outcomes for society.
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