In late December, as many Canadians were easing into a low-key holiday break, Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan pulled out a bag of goodies for the nuclear industry. It was the much-hyped Small Modular Reactor Action Plan for Canada.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are experimental nuclear technologies that are still on the drawing board. They are the nuclear power industry's hope for overcoming the problems that have plagued it: high costs, radioactive waste, and risks of accidents.