In 2018, Canada published a strategic plan – a roadmap – to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) across the country. An SMR is one designed to generate 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity or less, compared to Canada’s existing CANDU power reactors which generate 500 MW or more.
According to the “SMR Roadmap,” the first demonstration SMR was expected to be operating in 2026. In this milestone year, our report analyzes the financial and developmental status of the 10 SMR designs with some kind of presence in Canada.
On this page are the report and the recording of the report launch webinar on March 18, 2026.
The report authors are Susan O’Donnell, PhD, St. Thomas University and M.V. Ramana, PhD, University of British Columbia. The report was published by the CEDAR research project at St. Thomas University.
Report
Eight Years on the Roadmap: Assessing Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) in Canada (March 2026)
Click HERE to download the report
(pdf, 1.1 MB)
Check out our Reports page for other CEDAR reports.
Report launch webinar
The SMRs report was launched during a webinar on March 18, 2026, An assessment of SMR projects: the case of Canada. The speakers were the report authors, Susan O’Donnell, PhD, St. Thomas University and M.V. Ramana, PhD, University of British Columbia with moderator Madis Vasser, PhD, Senior expert on SMRs for Friends of the Earth Estonia.
The event was hosted by Nuclear Transparency Watch in Paris and co-hosted by the Sustainability Learning Lab at St. Thomas University in Fredericton.
The webinar recording, below, was published by the NB Media Co-op, a CEDAR project partner.
We were asked to share the webinar chat. It’s HERE.
News media and commentaries
O’Donnell, S. & Ramana, M.V. (2026). Evaluating SMRs in Canada. Nuclear Monitor #937, April 24.
O’Donnell, S. & Ramana, M.V. (2026). More wishful thinking about nuclear energy on path to net zero. The Hill Times, April 16.
Climenhaga, D. (2026). Cenovus pulled the plug on its much-ballyhooed ‘multi-year’ study of ‘small modular reactors’ in 2024 after a year. Alberta Politics, March 28.
O’Donnell, S. & Ramana, M.V. (2026). Does SMR Stand for Spending Money Recklessly? The Energy Mix, March 23.