Regulating Small Modular Reactors in Uzbekistan: Early-Stage Implementation of IAEA Standards

Abstract

This article analyzes the early-stage implementation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety standards in Uzbekistan’s nascent regulation of small modular reactors (SMRs). Using the planned Jizzakh SMR project as a case study, it employs doctrinal legal analysis and a structured gap-mapping of international and domestic instruments. The study finds rapid formal alignment with key IAEA conventions and safety standards, the establishment of a separate regulatory authority, and growing technical cooperation. However, detailed SMR-sensitive secondary regulations on licensing, defense-in-depth, emergency preparedness, public participation, and nuclear liability remain incomplete, leaving significant reliance on vendor documentation and project-specific arrangements. The article argues for a sequenced reform strategy that consolidates regulatory independence, codifies graded, technology-neutral requirements, and strengthens institutional capacity, and it suggests lessons for other newcomer countries and for the further evolution of IAEA guidance on SMRs.