The global energy industry is increasingly looking at small modular reactors as a potential source of reliable low-carbon electricity, and automation technology will be an important part of making these projects commercially scalable.

ABB and Rolls-Royce SMR have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore collaboration on the development of standardized, factory-built small modular reactors. The proposed Rolls-Royce SMR design is intended to generate 470 MW of electricity per unit, while ABB will investigate how its automation, electrification, instrumentation, and communication technologies can support the planned reactor fleet.

The agreement announced on September 8, 2026, represents another example of industrial automation moving deeper into the energy transition. Rather than focusing only on conventional power plants, automation suppliers are increasingly involved in new generations of nuclear, renewable, electrification, and energy infrastructure.

For PLC, DCS, SCADA, instrumentation, and industrial networking professionals, the development is particularly important because nuclear power requires highly integrated control, monitoring, safety, electrical, and communication systems.

Why Automation Is Critical to Small Modular Reactors

A nuclear power plant depends on sophisticated automation.

The control system continuously monitors temperatures, pressures, flow rates, reactor conditions, turbine parameters, electrical output, cooling systems, and numerous other variables.

Operators need real-time information about plant conditions.

At the same time, automated systems must execute control functions consistently and respond rapidly to abnormal conditions.

For conventional nuclear plants, these requirements already make instrumentation and control one of the most important parts of the facility.

For small modular reactors, automation becomes even more strategically important because the commercial concept depends heavily on standardization and repeatability.

If multiple reactor units are manufactured and deployed using a standardized design, the control architecture needs to be equally standardized.

The Rolls-Royce SMR Concept

Rolls-Royce SMR is developing a small modular reactor design intended to provide 470 MW of electricity per unit.

The company is pursuing a factory-based manufacturing approach designed to reduce construction complexity and improve delivery predictability.

This approach is different from building every nuclear power plant as a unique project.

Traditional large nuclear projects can involve significant site-specific engineering.

A standardized SMR approach seeks to move more manufacturing and assembly into controlled industrial environments.

Automation can support this strategy because standardized control architectures can potentially be replicated across multiple installations.

ABB's Role in the Collaboration

Under the memorandum, ABB will explore how its automation and electrification solutions can support Rolls-Royce SMR projects.

The scope is broad.

It includes automation, electrification, instrumentation, and communication technologies.

These areas are closely interconnected in a modern power plant.

Instrumentation provides the measurements.

Controllers process the information.

Automation systems execute control strategies.

Electrical systems deliver and distribute power.

Communication networks connect the different subsystems.

Operator interfaces provide information to plant personnel.

A successful nuclear control architecture must coordinate all of these layers.

Distributed Control Systems in Nuclear Applications

DCS technology has traditionally been associated with process industries such as oil and gas, chemicals, refining, and power generation.

However, the principles of distributed control are also highly relevant to nuclear power.

A modern DCS can collect large quantities of process information, provide operator visualization, coordinate control loops, manage alarms, and support engineering and maintenance functions.

In a nuclear facility, the architecture must be designed according to the safety classification of individual functions.

Not every function can be treated like an ordinary industrial control loop.

Critical safety functions may require dedicated architectures, redundancy, independence, and highly controlled engineering processes.

Therefore, nuclear automation is not simply a standard DCS project with different equipment.

It requires a carefully engineered combination of control, safety, monitoring, and protection systems.

Instrumentation Is the Foundation

Every advanced control system ultimately depends on reliable field information.

Pressure transmitters, temperature sensors, flowmeters, level instruments, vibration sensors, radiation monitoring equipment, electrical measurement devices, and other instruments provide the information needed by the control architecture.

For an SMR, instrumentation will need to operate reliably under demanding environmental and operational conditions.

Measurement accuracy is important.

But reliability, redundancy, diagnostics, lifecycle support, and qualification are equally important.

A sensor that provides excellent accuracy but cannot meet the required environmental or safety requirements is not suitable for a critical nuclear application.

Electrical Automation Is Becoming More Important

Nuclear power plants are also highly dependent on electrical infrastructure.

The generated electricity needs to be transformed and distributed.

Auxiliary systems require reliable electrical power.

Emergency systems require dedicated power arrangements.

Motors, pumps, fans, compressors, and other equipment depend on electrical systems.

This means automation and electrification cannot be considered independently.

ABB's involvement is particularly relevant because its portfolio spans both areas.

The ability to coordinate electrical equipment with automation systems can help create a more integrated plant architecture.

Standardization Could Change Nuclear Automation

One of the most interesting aspects of SMR technology is standardization.

If a reactor design is repeated across multiple sites, the automation architecture can potentially be standardized as well.

That could have several advantages.

Engineering templates can be reused.

Control strategies can be standardized.

Operator interfaces can be made consistent.

Training requirements can be reduced.

Maintenance procedures can be standardized.

Spare-parts planning can become more predictable.

Cybersecurity configurations can be replicated.

Software validation and testing processes may also benefit from a repeatable architecture.

This is similar to what manufacturers have already achieved in other industries through modular automation.

Factory Manufacturing and Automation

The factory-built nature of SMRs also creates an interesting connection with industrial automation.

A standardized reactor module can potentially be manufactured using controlled industrial processes.

Robotics, automated welding, digital inspection, machine vision, industrial networking, and production data systems can all contribute to manufacturing consistency.

This means automation can influence the SMR lifecycle at two levels.

First, automation can help manufacture the reactor equipment.

Second, automation can control the completed power-generation facility.

The same digital technologies can therefore support both production and operation.

Cybersecurity Will Be a Major Requirement

The increasing digitalization of nuclear infrastructure also makes cybersecurity critical.

Modern power plants contain numerous digital controllers and communication systems.

Engineering workstations, operator stations, network infrastructure, maintenance systems, and monitoring platforms all need to be protected.

For nuclear infrastructure, cybersecurity cannot be treated as a simple IT requirement.

The control environment has direct connections to physical processes.

A cybersecurity architecture therefore needs to protect both information and operational functions.

This can include network segmentation, authentication, secure engineering access, monitoring, software lifecycle management, and strict control of remote connections.

The Importance of Communications

Industrial communication is another major part of the architecture.

A modern SMR will contain numerous control and monitoring subsystems.

These systems need reliable communication while maintaining the required independence between critical functions.

Communication networks therefore need to be designed around performance, redundancy, cybersecurity, and safety requirements.

Industrial Ethernet and other digital communication technologies can provide significant advantages, but their deployment in safety-critical environments requires careful engineering.

Supporting Long-Term Plant Operation

A nuclear power plant is expected to operate for decades.

Therefore, the control system needs to have a long lifecycle.

This creates a challenge for automation suppliers.

Industrial electronics evolve rapidly.

A PLC or industrial computer platform can change substantially within a decade.

A nuclear facility may need to remain operational for many decades.

The automation architecture therefore needs a clear lifecycle strategy.

Hardware availability, software support, spare parts, cybersecurity updates, engineering tools, and migration paths all need to be considered.

SMR standardization could potentially help by creating a repeatable technology platform.

What This Means for PLC and DCS Engineers

For PLC and DCS engineers, the development highlights how the energy transition is creating new application areas.

Nuclear automation requires many of the same fundamental technologies found throughout industrial automation:

• Controllers
• Remote I/O
• Sensors
• HMIs
• Industrial networks
• Drives
• Electrical protection
• Data acquisition
• Alarm management
• Process control
• Cybersecurity

However, nuclear applications require significantly more rigorous engineering and validation.

Engineers entering this field need to understand not only automation programming but also safety classification, redundancy, cybersecurity, lifecycle management, documentation, and regulatory requirements.

The Broader Energy Transition

The ABB and Rolls-Royce SMR collaboration also reflects a broader trend.

The energy transition is not simply about renewable electricity.

Modern energy systems are becoming more diversified.

Solar and wind generation are expanding.

Battery storage is increasing.

Grid infrastructure is being upgraded.

Hydrogen projects are developing.

Nuclear technology is receiving renewed attention.

All of these technologies require advanced automation.

The demand for reliable control systems is therefore likely to increase across the entire energy sector.