Ireland is weighing whether to lift its decades-old ban on nuclear power, with political leaders now arguing that small modular reactors (SMRs) could help power the country's growing AI data center demand and lower electricity costs. A Fianna Fáil bill introduced to reverse the legislative ban has support from the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, marking the first serious political push for nuclear energy in Ireland since the 1970s Carnsore Point protests. However, experts caution that SMR technology remains years away from commercial deployment, and Ireland's own energy authority estimates these reactors won't be available before 2045.

Why Is Ireland Suddenly Interested in Nuclear Power?

Ireland faces a familiar energy challenge: rapidly growing electricity demand paired with the need to decarbonize. The country's population is expected to grow by one million over the next 20 years, and AI data centers are emerging as a major new load on the grid. Fianna Fáil TD James O'Connor, who introduced the bill to lift the nuclear ban, framed the decision as a long-term strategic play. He pointed to Finland, where approximately 40 percent of energy comes from nuclear power, resulting in some of Europe's cheapest electricity prices.

"It's a long term play, a generational decision," O'Connor told Prime Time. "Ireland has ended up as the most expensive country in the EU27 because over many decades we haven't planned long term. That's what I'm seeking to change."

James O'Connor, Fianna Fáil TD

The argument for nuclear centers on baseload power. Unlike wind and solar, which depend on weather conditions, nuclear reactors generate electricity continuously. Gareth Thomas, Director of Holtec Britain, emphasized this advantage when discussing the company's planned SMR at Cottam in Nottinghamshire, which will power a new data center. He noted that nuclear plants operate around the clock except for refueling cycles every 18 to 24 months.

What Are Small Modular Reactors, and When Will They Actually Be Available?

Small modular reactors are a newer nuclear technology designed to be smaller, cheaper, and faster to build than conventional gigawatt-scale reactors. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, these units can produce up to one-third the power of large reactors while requiring less cooling infrastructure. The key selling point is manufacturability: prefabricated SMR units can be built in factories and shipped to sites, theoretically reducing construction time and costs compared to massive on-site builds.

However, the technology remains largely theoretical. Dr. Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures at University College Cork, stressed the gap between promise and reality. "You can go into Harvey Norman in the morning and buy a solar panel. You can't go anywhere and buy a small modular nuclear reactor," he explained. Only China and Russia currently operate small reactors at scale, though Canada is building the first SMR facility in a Group of Seven nation, with construction expected to take about five years.

Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures at University College Cork

"There's lots of uncertainty around the costs and capability of the technology and big questions on what you do with the nuclear waste," Deane noted.

Dr. Paul Deane, Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures at University College Cork

Ireland's own Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has provided sobering timelines. A draft technical report concluded that SMRs are not expected to be available before 2045, with moderate-scale deployment possible only by 2050. The report acknowledged that it remains plausible no nuclear fission will be deployed in Ireland by 2050.

How Are Global Tech Giants and Governments Approaching SMRs?

Despite the long timelines, major technology companies are betting on SMRs to power their AI infrastructure. Google and Amazon have signed deals to use SMR reactors once they become available, signaling confidence in the technology's eventual deployment. In the UK, Holtec has committed to delivering an SMR at the decommissioned Cottam power station, with the facility designed to supply electricity to a new data center on the 40-acre site.

Meanwhile, the United States is pursuing a different strategy. The Department of Energy set an ambitious goal last year to have three test reactors reach criticality by July 4, 2026. California-based Antares achieved this milestone with its Mark-0 reactor, a sodium-cooled design using TRISO fuel, self-contained graphite-coated spheres of concentrated nuclear material. However, the Mark-0 lacks power conversion and heat removal systems; the company plans to produce electricity in late 2027 and deploy in the field by 2028.

China, by contrast, is pursuing a different path entirely. Rather than betting on unproven SMRs, China has doubled its nuclear fleet since 2016, reaching nearly 60 gigawatts of capacity, almost entirely through large pressurized-water reactors. Construction started on six new reactors in 2025 and two more in the first five months of 2026. The country's standardized project management system allows reactors to be built in batches of six or more, achieving construction times of five to seven years on average, compared to the global average of nine years and 15 years for the two most recent US reactors.

Key Factors Shaping the Nuclear Energy Debate

• Technology Maturity: SMRs remain in development with no commercial units available for purchase, making cost and performance projections highly uncertain and difficult to benchmark against proven alternatives.
• Timeline Mismatch: Ireland's energy authority projects SMRs won't be commercially available until 2045, while electricity demand from AI data centers is rising now, creating pressure for near-term solutions.
• Cost Considerations: While SMRs require less upfront investment per unit than large reactors, they are actually more expensive per unit of electricity produced, a significant factor for grid economics.
• Renewable Alternatives: Spain chose to invest in solar and renewables after the Ukraine war and now has the lowest wholesale electricity prices in Europe, demonstrating that non-nuclear decarbonization strategies can deliver results.
• Safety and Security Concerns: Anti-nuclear activists cite Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhia nuclear plant in Ukraine as evidence of nuclear facilities' vulnerability to military threats and potential use as radiological weapons.

What Do Experts Say About Ireland's Nuclear Future?

Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman dismissed the nuclear proposal as "Government kite flying," arguing that the nuclear industry consistently overpromises on cost and timescale. He advocated instead for doubling down on renewable energy, battery storage, and grid modernization to meet Ireland's electricity needs.

"The nuclear industry promises to deliver at a cheap price on a reasonable timescale but it doesn't happen," O'Gorman told the programme. "We should double down on delivering renewable energy, cutting bills for consumers and giving us energy security."

Roderic O'Gorman, Green Party Leader

The debate reflects a broader global tension. Large reactors, proven and standardized, are being deployed rapidly in China but face regulatory complexity, lengthy construction timelines, and public opposition in Western democracies. SMRs promise to solve these problems but remain unproven at commercial scale. For Ireland, the decision hinges on whether to wait for a technology that may never materialize at scale, or to accelerate renewable and battery storage investments that are already commercially available and delivering results in other European countries.

The SEAI cautioned that its technical report is provisional, with subsequent work underway to provide more precise assessments of decarbonization technologies for the Irish electricity system. Any final conclusions about SMRs' role in Ireland's energy future will depend on this ongoing analysis.