While instrumentation and control (I&C) technology represents a relatively small percentage of the overall capital investment for any nuclear power station, it often plays an outsized role for safe, reliable, and efficient operation. Recognizing the potential benefits, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and other regulatory agencies have become more open to digital I&C technology in nuclear facilities.
The new wave of small modular reactors (SMRs) currently in development are particularly ripe for new digital technology solutions. SMRs offer cost, siting, and safety benefits relative to full-scale nuclear generating plants, but will lack comparable economies of scale.
