Factory-Fabricated Small Modular Reactor Capital Cost Deflation

The shift in nuclear energy production from custom, large-scale civil engineering projects to standardized, factory-assembled units represents a fundamental economic inflection point for global power infrastructure. This transition, driven by the principles of industrial manufacturing throughput and governed by classical learning curve dynamics (Wright's Law), mandates predictable capital cost deflation across modular reactor designs. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are increasingly optimized not only for passive safety physics—which reduces material requirements and operational complexity—but critically, for standardized manufacturability within dedicated supply chains. The resultant decrease in unit capitalization expenditure is compounding, establishing a new economic baseline for zero-carbon baseload power generation globally.