Small Modular Reactor Patent Landscape 2026
Small Modular Reactor Patent Landscape in 2026
The small modular reactor (SMR) patent space is highly concentrated, with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. alone holding the largest single-applicant position and South Korea serving as the leading filing jurisdiction. Activity has expanded sharply over the review window, though the most recent filing years remain subject to publication lag.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power leads a tightly held field
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. sits atop the applicant ranking with 82 patent families, a position that dwarfs every other participant in the corpus. The top five filers — Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel, KEPCO Engineering & Construction, BWXT mPower, and SMR Inventec — together account for 54% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers, signaling an unusually concentrated field for an emerging energy technology.
A clear two-tier structure exists: the Korean utility-and-supply-chain cluster (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel, KEPCO Engineering & Construction) commands the upper tier, while US-headquartered specialists such as BWXT mPower, SMR Inventec, and Westinghouse Electric occupy a secondary tier with counts ranging from nine to eleven patent families each. Beyond the top ten, individual counts drop sharply, indicating limited depth in the challenger pool.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOREA HYDRO & NUCLEAR POWER CO LTD | 82 | |
| 2 | KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co. Ltd. | 17 | |
| 3 | KEPCO ENG & CONSTR CO INC | 13 | |
| 4 | BWXT mPower Inc. | 11 | |
| 5 | SMR Inventec LLC | 10 | |
| 6 | Westinghouse Electric Corporation | 9 | |
| 7 | General Electric Technology GmbH | 6 | |
| 8 | Samhong Arcturion Co. Ltd. | 6 | |
| 9 | BABCOCK & WILCOX MPOWER INC | 5 | |
| 10 | Holtec International Inc. | 5 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | SHANGHAI NUCLEAR ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN INS… | 5 | |
| 12 | Dunedin Energy Systems Ltd. | 4 | |
| 13 | Advanced Reactor Concepts LLC | 4 | |
| 14 | Harbin Engineering University | 4 | |
| 15 | Southeast University | 3 | |
| 16 | Nova Chemicals (International) SA | 3 | |
| 17 | UNIST (ULSAN NAT INST OF SCI & TECH) | 2 | |
| 18 | Shepherd Dale Allen | 2 | |
| 19 | Sejong University Industry-Academia Cooperation Group | 2 | |
| 20 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 2 |
The dominance of the Korean cluster reflects a coordinated national program — government utility plus fuel-cycle and engineering subsidiaries filing in a common jurisdiction — rather than a fragmented competitive market. Entrants seeking to challenge this position must contend with an incumbent that has roughly five times the family count of the next nearest rival.
Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are understated due to normal patent publication lag; apparent softening in 2025–2026 data should not be read as a real-activity decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filings have surged and reactor-core technology dominates the mix
The annual filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal an accelerating, narrowly focused field — annual volumes climbed steeply from 2017 to 2024, and nuclear reactor design (G21C) accounts for the overwhelming majority of classified activity.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings grew from 10 in 2017 to a recorded peak of 54 in 2024, representing a 537% rise over the review window. The apparent drop in 2025 and the very low 2026 count reflect publication lag rather than a genuine slowdown; the lifecycle evidence confirms this field remains in a growth stage. The zero-filing year in 2019 is an artifact of data coverage and should not be treated as an activity gap.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G21C (Nuclear reactors) accounts for the vast majority of classified records and is followed at a distance by G21D (Nuclear power plants). Downstream classes — F22B (Steam generation & boilers), F01K (Steam & thermal power plants), F01D (Turbines), and H02J (Power supply & grid systems) — each hold single-digit shares, indicating that most innovation effort remains concentrated in the reactor core and primary system rather than the balance-of-plant or grid-integration layers.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Passive cooling system of small modular reactor
The present invention relates to a passive cooling system of a small modular reactor, and to the passive cooling system of the small modular reactor, the system comprising: a reactor building having an inner space; an integral reactor which is located in the reactor building and which includes a reactor core and a steam generator; a containment vessel… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small modular reactor safety systems | 58 |
| 2 | Optimized nuclear fuel core design for a small mod… | 25 |
| 3 | SLIMM-Scalable Liquid Metal Cooled Small Modular R… | 24 |
| 4 | Wind-solar reactor system and working method thereof | 21 |
| 5 | 小模块化反应堆安全系统 | 15 |
| 6 | 一种自充压堆芯补水系统 | 15 |
| 7 | Small modular reactor power plant with load follow… | 13 |
| 8 | Slimm-scalable liquid metal cooled small modular r… | 12 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
The combination of rapid growth, high concentration, and a reactor-core-heavy technology mix creates a specific set of strategic implications for new entrants and established players alike.
Growth stage with peak volume not yet confirmed
The field is classified as Growth, with annual filings rising sharply — up 537% over the review window — and the lifecycle evidence indicating the trend has not yet eased from its peak. Recorded 2024 volume is the highest in the dataset, and 2025–2026 counts are still accumulating due to publication lag. This is an early-to-mid-stage technology race where patent position is still being established.
Lifecycle: GrowthTop five filers hold more than half of the leading-applicant pool
The top five applicants account for 54% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, and the single leading applicant — Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power — commands 82 patent families. This concentration means that incremental filing by challengers has limited impact on relative position. New entrants may find it more productive to target under-covered technology branches than to compete head-on in reactor core design.
High concentrationNo co-applicant filings detected in the corpus
The collaboration evidence contains no recorded co-applicant relationships, suggesting that SMR patent activity is being pursued through proprietary, single-assignee filings rather than joint-development agreements. This may reflect the national-security-sensitive nature of nuclear technology or the early-stage commercial dynamics of the sector. Absence of collaboration data does not preclude licensing or standards-body activity outside the patent record.
Proprietary filingsSouth Korea leads; US and China are secondary hubs
South Korea is the leading jurisdiction with 94 records, followed by the United States with 47 and China with 26. WIPO PCT filings (25) and EPO filings (23) indicate that several applicants are pursuing multi-jurisdictional protection, particularly in Western markets. Canada (9 records) is a notable secondary target, likely driven by its regulatory environment for advanced reactors. Coverage in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Taiwan remains thin.
Korea-first geographyGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power dominates; GE Technology and Holtec emerge in distinct niches
The top two players both entered as new entrants in the recent period and occupy fundamentally different technology positions — one focused on reactor design, the other on turbine and power-plant balance-of-plant engineering.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd.
Holding 82 patent families, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is the clear field leader by a wide margin. Its technology focus is concentrated in G21C 1 (reactor design, 58 records), G21C 15 (cooling systems, 26 records), and G21D 3 (nuclear power plant control, 16 records), covering the full primary-system stack. The applicant momentum trend is recorded as a new entrant in the recent filing window, with 53 recent filings — indicating that the bulk of its portfolio has been assembled in the current growth phase.
patent families: 82General Electric Technology GmbH
With 6 patent families, GE Technology GmbH is a smaller but technically distinctive participant, with all recorded focus in F01D (turbines and non-positive displacement engines: F01D 5 with 6 records, F01D 9 with 4 records, F01D 25 with 2 records). This positions it as a balance-of-plant specialist rather than a reactor-core competitor, and its new-entrant momentum (5 recent filings) suggests active portfolio building in the power-conversion layer — a relatively sparse segment of the SMR landscape.
patent families: 6| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. | 53 | ▲ new entrant |
| KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co. Ltd. | 13 | ▲ new entrant |
| General Electric Technology GmbH | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| (주)삼홍기계 | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Holtec International Inc. | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute Co. Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the reactor core
Several IPC classes adjacent to the dominant G21C reactor-core branch carry low patent counts relative to the field total, indicating areas where the innovation record is sparse. These observations reflect relative filing sparsity and are not validated commercial opportunities; entry feasibility depends on technical readiness and regulatory context.
H02J · Power supply & grid systems
With 7 records and a 2% share of classified activity, grid-integration and power-supply systems represent one of the least-covered adjacent branches in the corpus. SMRs are frequently positioned as flexible, grid-supportive assets, yet the patent record for power conditioning, islanding, and microgrid interfaces tied to SMR outputs is thin. For applicants with competencies in power electronics or smart-grid control, this branch offers a plausible entry point with limited incumbent density.
Search this in Eureka →F01D · Turbines & non-positive engines
Turbine and power-conversion technology accounts for only 9 records (2% share), despite being a necessary element of any SMR generating station. GE Technology GmbH is the only applicant with a concentrated position in this branch, leaving it effectively open to other power-generation equipment manufacturers. The low count may partly reflect that conventional large-turbine IP is already established elsewhere, but SMR-specific turbine configurations — particularly those optimized for lower thermal output and modular installation — remain sparsely covered.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | G21C 1 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 15 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 3 · Nuclear reactors | G21D 3 · Nuclear power plants | G21C 9 · Nuclear reactors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. | Strong · 58 | Moderate · 26 | Emerging · 6 | Moderate · 16 | Emerging · 10 |
| KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co. Ltd. | Moderate · 5 | Absent | Strong · 14 | Absent | Emerging · 2 |
| KEPCO Engineering & Construction Co. Inc. | Moderate · 4 | Strong · 8 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent |
| Westinghouse Electric Corporation | Strong · 5 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 5 |
| SMR Inventec LLC | Absent | Moderate · 3 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Strong · 5 |
| Babcock & Wilcox mPower Inc. | Strong · 7 | Absent | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent |
| Advanced Reactor Concepts LLC | Absent | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 208 patent families. Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are understated due to publication lag, so the true current total is likely higher.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. leads with 82 patent families, roughly five times the count of the second-ranked applicant, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co. Ltd. (17 patent families).
South Korea is the leading jurisdiction with 94 records, followed by the United States (47), China (26), WIPO PCT (25), and Europe via the EPO (23).
Annual filings grew 537% over the review window, from 10 in 2017 to a recorded peak of 54 in 2024. The lifecycle stage is classified as Growth, and the apparent decline in 2025–2026 data reflects publication lag rather than a real slowdown.
G21C (Nuclear reactors) dominates with 189 records, followed by G21D (Nuclear power plants) with 61. Downstream classes such as F22B (Steam generation), F01K (Steam & thermal power plants), and H02J (Power supply & grid systems) each account for 14 or fewer records, indicating that most innovation is concentrated in reactor-core and primary-system design.
No co-applicant filings are recorded in the evidence for this corpus. SMR patents appear to be filed on a proprietary, single-assignee basis, which may reflect the sensitive nature of nuclear technology or the current stage of commercial development.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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