Futureproofing ageing nuclear sites – Local Perceptions of Small Modular Reactors near Marcoule and Sellafield

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are increasingly promoted as a cheap and reliable, low-carbon option for climate change mitigation (IAEA, 2024). While only a handful are currently operational, private and public interest is high, with over 90 projects at various stages of development as of 2024 (NEA, 2024).
Despite growing STS interest in SMRs (e.g., Kari et al., 2023; Sovacool, 2019), limited research has explored local perceptions in areas that may potentially host these novel reactors in the future. Proposals for new construction projects often generate public concerns and opposition from residents, indicating a persisting NIMBY effect (e.g., Di Nucci & Brunnengräber, 2017). Consequently, new nuclear builds are often concentrated at existing nuclear sites (Greenberg et al., 2017), suggesting that SMRs will (initially) also follow this pattern.
This study – conducted as part of a European project (ESFR-Simple) – examines local SMR perceptions near two legacy nuclear sites that may potentially host such reactors in the future: Marcoule (France) and Sellafield (UK). Drawing on semistructured interviews with local civil society representatives, we engage with the literature on nuclear communities (e.g., Vilhunen et al., 2022; Venables et al., 2012) and sociotechnical imaginaries (Jasanoff & Kim, 2009) to examine how past industrial and technological trajectories shape local expectations and visions of desirable futures.
Initial findings indicate strong local support for SMRs, with dissenting voices often deliberately marginalized. In these historically pro-nuclear areas, SMRs are framed as a means to futureproof ageing nuclear sites, sustain local economies, and attract decarbonizing industries, reinforcing ties to past local industrial heritage in the process.