Small modular reactors (SMRs) are nuclear fission plants with up to 300 MW of capacity, roughly one third of a conventional reactor. The Straits Times explainer compares four main designs: water cooled, high temperature gas cooled, molten salt, and liquid metal cooled. It also covers passive safety features, fuel supply constraints, and what deployment could mean for Singapore, where the grid can produce about 13 GW. The piece is useful for anyone tracking low carbon power options in dense, land constrained markets. It does not oversell SMRs. It flags that HALEU fuel is mostly produced in Russia and China, and that molten salt and lead cooled designs still face engineering and supply chain hurdles. For carbon and energy readers, the key takeaway is that SMRs are a credible but early stage option, not a near term silver bullet.
