From made-to-measure to standardization: nuclear energy enters the industrial era

What if nuclear energy finally entered the industrial era? Drawing on proven methods in the automotive and aerospace industries (platform, modularity, lifecycle management), NAAREA is applying an approach to the design of its reactor based on platforming, quality on a large scale and anticipation, up to end of life. This approach is transforming a sector that has historically lacked standardization into a coherent, efficient industrial system designed to last.

From automotive platforms to nuclear industrialization: applying the same principles of standardization
In the automotive industry, for over 30 years mass production has relied on a fundamental principle: the platform. This involves manufacturing components in large quantities, then assembling them with different modules to produce a wide range of vehicles. Although this model does not allow for full customization, it ensures a variety of products suited to users’ needs, while maintaining the necessary economies of scale for the sector’s competitiveness. This approach (using a shared foundation to produce various models) has profoundly transformed the automotive industry, combining standardization with flexibility.
In the nuclear sector, a similar practice is poised to emerge. Historically, each component of a power plant has been made to measure, with adjustments often made directly on site. NAAREA’s vision seeks to break with this approach. The goal is to manufacture standardized modules in a production facility, limiting the need for on-site adjustments. This modularity is making it possible to design platform-based power generation systems while retaining the ability to adapt to the specific characteristics of each project. Mass production, combined with fewer on-site operations, provides significant advantages in terms of costs, timeframes and reliability.

Modular and upgradeable: harnessing industrialization for continual optimization
The modular approach, when applied to nuclear technology, makes it possible to progressively upgrade and develop systems, without extensive transformation works on site. In the case of a reactor, the first units can be produced according to a set standard, and subsequently benefit from targeted improvements made directly at the production facility. For example, an adjustment to the gas management module could be integrated without modifying the core reactor module or requiring changes to the overall architecture.
This leads to a valid question: is there a risk of the initial versions quickly becoming obsolete? That’s precisely where the advantages of modularity and platforming lie. Each adjustment is assessed according to its added value. If it proves to be of structural importance, it can be integrated into a new version or a retrofit can be carried out. Otherwise, it is simply postponed. This flexibility makes it possible to optimize performance while ensuring the system’s stability.
Beyond technical agility, this approach paves the way for new business models. Adding supplementary modules and elements can make it possible to enhance uses and offer additional services. Technology thus becomes a driver of industrial performance and a tool for value creation.

Rethinking manufacturability: an essential lever for nuclear industrialization
In industrial production, design for manufacturing is essential. The size, form and configuration of parts are designed in line with the pace of production, manufacturing constraints and flow organization. Depending on the case, it may be more appropriate to produce a component in one piece or to divide it into smaller modules. This choice determines the architecture of the production facility, logistics flows, assembly methods and supplier management.
The key to competitiveness, in this context, lies in manufacturability: the ability to design a product that not only performs well, but is also easy to produce, repeatably, in an industrial environment. This entails a comprehensive approach beginning with design, which anticipates assembly, standardization and interface requirements.
In the automotive and aerospace industries, this practice is well-established. It has yet to be widely adopted in the nuclear sector, however, where each project is often designed as a one-off unit. At NAAREA, this industrial approach is a key focus of development. The rise of modular technologies has finally made it possible to develop nuclear power designed for mass production, performance and cost efficiency.

Ensuring quality on a large scale: the challenges of licensing and capability
One of the primary challenges of nuclear industrialization concerns licensing: how can complex systems be reproduced on a large scale, while meeting the strictest safety and security standards? At first glance, this may appear contradictory. In this case, however, repeatability can in fact become a factor in reliability.
Currently, many nuclear components are still produced individually, using processes with low reproducibility. Adopting an industrial approach based on standardized processes offers advantages in terms of uniform quality, traceability and regulatory compliance. This standardization reduces the need for systematic requalification and secures the production line.
The concept of capability is central here. Capability is not just about compliance with specifications: it assesses the actual ability of a process to produce parts meeting specifications in a stable manner. This is the basis for the Six Sigma method, which aims for an extreme level of excellence: a 99.99966% rate of conformity, or less than 3.4 defects per million. Achieving this requires highly controlled processes, minimal variability and consistent high standards, from the initial design to the final quality control.

An industrial approach at the heart of NAAREA’s vision
NAAREA is not applying industrialization to nuclear technology as a secondary step. Rather, it is incorporating it from the design stage on, as a necessary condition for the emergence of a reliable, competitive and scalable SMR industry. Far from a simple mechanical transposition of industrial methods, this approach reflects the conviction that nuclear technologies can gain in agility, performance and control, if they are designed from the start as a reproducible system.
By structuring its choices around standardization, manufacturability and lifecycle management, NAAREA is contributing to sustainably developing a coherent industrial approach to nuclear energy. This approach paves the way for mass production that is ultra-reliable, efficient and controlled, and fosters the emergence of a new generation of innovators capable of leading this transformation.