The Open Group has published the Industrial Advanced Nuclear Consortium's inaugural Application Scenarios Whitepaper, which outlines potential uses for advanced nuclear technologies across heavy industry.
The paper examines how small modular reactors and micro modular reactors could be integrated into industrial sites that need constant supplies of electricity and heat. It focuses on offshore energy, refining and petrochemicals, mining, and energy-intensive manufacturing.
Developed by industrial end users, the whitepaper is intended to reflect the operational requirements, energy demands, and site constraints of some of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. It presents advanced nuclear as a potential source of low-carbon process heat and power for facilities that cannot easily rely on intermittent energy sources alone.
Several scenarios focus on locations with limited grid access, volatile fuel prices, or energy security concerns. In those settings, the paper argues that modular reactors could support both remote off-grid operations and larger industrial hubs requiring continuous baseload supply.
The publication comes as policymakers and industrial groups seek ways to cut emissions from heavy industry without disrupting production. While wind, solar, and storage have expanded rapidly, sectors such as refining, mining, and some forms of manufacturing still need round-the-clock heat and electricity at scales that remain difficult to replace with current alternatives.
The consortium was created to bring together industrial users and define what they need from nuclear developers. The aim is to give reactor companies and other suppliers a clearer picture of demand and the conditions under which industrial customers might adopt the technology.
Mohan Kalyanaraman, technology acquisition advisor at Exxon Mobil, described that effort in the group's own terms. "The Industrial Advanced Nuclear Consortium (IANC) was formed to unlock the potential of advanced nuclear for industrial applications - bringing together end users to clearly define what industry needs from nuclear. Our goal is to aggregate and communicate those requirements to enable solutions that can deliver both heat and power reliably and at scale, with the aim of making nuclear a viable option for industrial projects by 2030," he said.
Industrial demand
The whitepaper is the consortium's first published output. It is intended as a starting point for later work on detailed technical, business, and commercial requirements tied to industrial deployment.
One of its central themes is that nuclear's industrial role may extend beyond supplying power to public grids. Instead, the document points to direct integration with industrial processes, where reactors could provide both electricity and the high levels of heat needed for day-to-day operations.
That distinction matters because some of the most energy-intensive sectors have limited decarbonisation options. Electrification can work in some cases, but not always at the temperatures or reliability levels required, while fossil fuels remain deeply embedded in many industrial systems.
The consortium's approach also reflects a longstanding challenge for emerging nuclear developers: proving there is enough customer demand to support investment and standardised deployment. By aggregating end-user requirements across sectors, the group is trying to create a more coherent market signal for reactor vendors, engineering companies, and regulators.
Deployment barriers
The paper also addresses the practical difficulties of deployment. These include integration challenges, varying site conditions, and the need for standardised models that can be repeated across different industrial settings rather than treated as one-off projects.
The consortium aims to bridge the gap between industrial demand and nuclear innovation. Doing so will require coordination among plant operators, technology providers, engineering firms, and regulators if advanced nuclear is to move from concept papers to operating projects in industrial environments.
Steve Nunn, president and CEO of The Open Group, said the scenarios were intended to show the market what industrial customers actually need. "This first set of application scenarios provides a clear end-user perspective on where and how advanced nuclear can be deployed - detailing real energy needs, operational requirements, and integration challenges. By sharing this aggregated view, we aim to help the nuclear industry better understand and respond to industrial demand. Future publications will build on this foundation, outlining detailed requirements as well as business and commercial pathways, and we encourage organizations to engage with IANC as we work together to develop a streamlined delivery model for nuclear in industry," he said.
The consortium's broader objective is to support deployment decisions within this decade by helping create scalable, repeatable models for industrial nuclear projects. Its initial paper sets out where that demand may emerge first, and in what form, across some of heavy industry's most energy-dependent sectors.