Small Modular Reactor Patent Landscape 2026
Small Modular Reactor Patent Landscape in 2026
The SMR patent field is in a clear growth phase, with a multi-year filing surge of 81% and peak annual volumes reached in 2023. Activity is moderately concentrated — the top five filers hold 49% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total — with US-headquartered and Korean state-backed entities dominating the leading positions.
BWXT mPower leads a competitive but concentrated field
BWXT mPower Inc holds the top position in the ranking, followed closely by Westinghouse Electric Corp and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., with the top five filers accounting for 49% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total — indicating meaningful but not overwhelming concentration.
The leading tier comprises both private US developers and state-backed Korean and French entities, with scores ranging from 186 down to 120 patent records among the top six. Below the top six, a second tier of specialists — including NuScale Power and Rolls-Royce SMR — hold materially smaller positions, suggesting a clear gap between the dominant cohort and the emerging challengers.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BWXT mPower Inc | 186 | |
| 2 | Westinghouse Electric Corp | 174 | |
| 3 | KOREA HYDRO & NUCLEAR POWER CO LTD | 160 | |
| 4 | Société Technique pour l’Énergie Atomique (Technicatome) | 152 | |
| 5 | Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 126 | |
| 6 | SMR Inventec LLC | 120 | |
| 7 | BABCOCK & WILCOX MPOWER INC | 78 | |
| 8 | NuScale Power LLC | 56 | |
| 9 | Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd | 38 | |
| 10 | Advanced Reactor Concepts LLC | 33 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | TerraPower LLC | 30 | |
| 12 | Prodigy Clean Energy Ltd | 27 | |
| 13 | KEPCO ENG & CONSTR CO INC | 21 | |
| 14 | Holtec International Inc | 17 | |
| 15 | KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd. | 17 | |
| 16 | Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute | 16 | |
| 17 | Methanex New Zealand | 15 | |
| 18 | Calogena | 15 | |
| 19 | Toshiba Corporation | 15 | |
| 20 | Électricité de France (EDF) | 14 |
The positions of incumbents such as Westinghouse and France’s Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique signal that established nuclear engineering organisations are actively protecting SMR-specific inventions, while newer entrants like Rolls-Royce SMR and TerraPower indicate that purpose-built SMR developers are building independent IP estates.
Filing counts for 2025 and 2026 are substantially understated due to the typical 18-to-24-month patent publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volumes surged from 2022 onward; reactor-core IP dominates the technology mix
Two complementary views — annual filing trend and IPC technology composition — reveal both the pace of market entry and where innovation is concentrated versus sparse.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings climbed steadily from 83 records in 2017, accelerated sharply from 2022 onward, and peaked at 174 records in 2023. The apparent dip in 2025 and the very low 2026 count reflect publication lag rather than a real deceleration; the field’s 81% multi-year growth confirms sustained expansion.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G21C (Nuclear reactors) dominates the corpus by a wide margin, followed by G21D (Nuclear power plants). Adjacent engineering classes — including steam and thermal power plants, heat-exchange apparatus, and radiation shielding — each represent only a 2% or lower share, marking them as comparatively sparse branches relative to the core reactor IP.
↗ 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.
Nuclear power plant including small modular reacto…
The present invention relates to a nuclear power plant which includes a small modular reactor (SMR), the nuclear power plant comprising a water tank, wherein the water tank comprises: a first water tank filled with cooling water and forming a first space in which spent nuclear fuel is disposed; and a second water tank forming a second space which is… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Offshore and marine vessel-based nuclear reactor c… | 77 |
| 2 | Heat pipe molten salt fast reactor with stagnant l… | 76 |
| 3 | In-core instrument thimble assembly | 66 |
| 4 | Molten Salt Reactor | 62 |
| 5 | Small modular reactor safety systems | 58 |
| 6 | Sustainable Modular Transmutation Reactor | 57 |
| 7 | 一种全自然循环的模块式小型反应堆 | 55 |
| 8 | Instrumentation and control penetration flange for… | 49 |
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 SMR IP structure means for R&D strategy
The combination of a growth-stage lifecycle, moderate concentration, active cross-institution collaboration, and broad geographic filing creates both competitive pressure and identifiable entry points for new participants.
Growth stage: filings expanding on a multi-year basis
The field is classified as Growth, with an 81% uplift in the recent window and annual volumes that peaked in 2023. The multi-year trajectory remains strongly positive. Organisations entering now can still establish meaningful IP positions before the field matures into a consolidation phase.
Growth stageTop five hold 49% of the leading filers’ share — competitive but not locked up
The top five applicants collectively account for 49% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. This level of concentration is significant but leaves meaningful room for challengers and specialists. The second tier — NuScale, Rolls-Royce SMR, Advanced Reactor Concepts — demonstrates that purpose-built SMR developers can carve credible positions without matching the incumbents’ absolute volume.
Moderate concentrationFrench institutional network and Korean utility-developer pairs are the most active co-filers
The Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) co-files with three French academic institutions — the University of Toulouse III, CNRS, and the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse — each with two joint filings. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power co-files with both KEPCO Engineering & Construction and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. These pairings reflect coordinated national programmes rather than purely commercial collaborations.
Institutional co-filingUS leads filings; Europe and PCT routes signal broad international protection strategies
The United States is the lead filing jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). South Korea and France are notable secondary markets, reflecting the national programmes of the Korean and French institutional leaders. The presence of China and Japan as mid-tier jurisdictions indicates that major Asian markets are being actively designated, while countries such as India, Australia, and the UK show lighter but emerging coverage.
US-led, globally filedGo 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.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | University of Toulouse III | 2 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) | 2 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse | 2 |
| NuScale Power LLC | Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Corporation | 2 |
| Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. | KEPCO Engineering & Construction Co., Inc. | 1 |
| Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. | Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
BWXT mPower and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power lead by volume and trajectory
The top two ranked applicants differ markedly in momentum: Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power has entered the recent window as a new entrant with strong recent-period volume, while BWXT mPower holds the largest cumulative position anchored in reactor design and systems IP.
BWXT mPower Inc
BWXT mPower holds 186 patent records — the largest position in the corpus. Its technology emphasis is concentrated in G21C subclasses covering nuclear reactor design (G21C 1, G21C 13, and G21C 15), reflecting deep coverage of reactor configuration and coolant systems. Its affiliated entity, Babcock & Wilcox mPower Inc (78 records), and BWXT Foreign Holdings further extend the group’s total footprint. Recent-period momentum for the BWXT mPower entity shows a new-entrant trajectory, suggesting active portfolio restructuring or re-filing under the renamed corporate identity.
families: 186Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. ranks third overall with 160 patent records and shows a new-entrant trend in the recent three-year window — indicating a rapid build-up of recent filings from a previously modest base. Its technology focus spans G21C 1 (reactor design), G21C 15 (coolant systems), and G21D 3 (nuclear power plant operations), suggesting a comprehensive systems approach. It actively co-files with KEPCO Engineering & Construction and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, reinforcing its role as the hub of South Korea’s integrated SMR programme.
families: 160| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. | 110 | ▲ new entrant |
| Westinghouse Electric Corp | 1 | ▼ -94% |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 89 | ▲ 5.6× vs prior 3-yr |
| SMR Inventec LLC | 3 | ▼ -83% |
| BWXT mPower Inc | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| NuScale Power LLC | 40 | ▲ new entrant |
Steam-cycle, heat-exchange, and radiation-shielding branches are comparatively sparse
While reactor-core IP dominates, several engineering branches adjacent to SMR deployment carry low filing shares relative to the dominant class, making them worth monitoring for teams seeking differentiated positions.
F01K / F22B · Steam & thermal power plant integration
These two branches — steam and thermal power plants (F01K, 63 records, 2% share) and steam generation and boilers (F22B, 59 records, 2% share) — represent the balance-of-plant systems that convert reactor heat into usable power. Given that SMR economics depend heavily on modular, factory-built power conversion systems, the relative sparsity here may reflect an under-protected interface between reactor vendors and turbine/boiler OEMs. Teams with expertise in compact Rankine-cycle or supercritical steam systems could find realistic entry paths, particularly for designs targeting remote or industrial heat applications.
Search this in Eureka →G21F · Radiation protection and shielding
Radiation protection and shielding (G21F) carries 54 records and a 2% share — notably sparse given that modularity and factory fabrication impose new constraints on shielding geometry and materials. As SMRs move toward deployments in non-traditional settings (marine vessels, remote communities, industrial campuses), compact and novel shielding solutions become a differentiating engineering challenge. The low filing density here is an observation of relative sparsity; whether it represents a viable entry point depends on an applicant’s materials and structural engineering capabilities.
Search this in Eureka →How leading SMR applicants differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | G21C 1 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 15 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 13 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 3 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 9 · Nuclear reactors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox mPower Inc | Strong · 66 | Strong · 42 | Strong · 53 | Moderate · 30 | Moderate · 19 |
| Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. | Strong · 101 | Strong · 58 | Emerging · 17 | Emerging · 9 | Moderate · 24 |
| Société Technique pour l’Énergie Atomique (Technicatome) | Strong · 68 | Moderate · 32 | Strong · 71 | Absent | Moderate · 24 |
| SMR Inventec LLC | Absent | Strong · 84 | Strong · 48 | Emerging · 14 | Strong · 43 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Strong · 75 | Strong · 66 | Moderate · 17 | Moderate · 25 | Absent |
| Westinghouse Electric Corp | Strong · 52 | Strong · 51 | Emerging · 9 | Moderate · 26 | Moderate · 18 |
| BWXT mPower Inc | Strong · 21 | Strong · 25 | Moderate · 12 | Strong · 16 | Strong · 13 |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 1,037 patent families in scope globally across the filing years represented in the dataset.
BWXT mPower Inc holds the top position with 186 patent records, followed by Westinghouse Electric Corp with 174 and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. with 160.
Yes. The field is classified as a Growth stage, supported by an 81% increase in the recent filing window. Annual volumes peaked in 2023 at 174 records; the lower counts for 2025 and 2026 reflect publication lag rather than a real slowdown.
The United States leads with 384 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 280, WIPO (PCT) with 234, China with 157, and South Korea with 138. France and Japan also feature as significant secondary filing destinations.
The most active co-filing relationships identified are between the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives and three French institutions — the University of Toulouse III, CNRS, and the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse — and between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and both KEPCO Engineering & Construction and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
The highest-cited documents include inventions relating to offshore and marine vessel-based nuclear reactor concepts (77 citations), heat pipe molten salt fast reactor designs (76 citations), in-core instrument thimble assemblies (66 citations), and molten salt reactor configurations (62 citations).
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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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