1 Title: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Cost Requirements of Small Modular Reactors Author names and affiliations: Amritpal Singh Agar a* , Martin J Goodfellow b , Yee Mey Goh a , Linda B Newnes c a Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University b Rolls-Royce Plc c Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath *Corresponding author contact via email: a.s.agar@lboro.ac.uk , Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom Highlights:  Nuclear power cost experts are consistent in their understanding of what will impact on the commercial success of a near-term deployable SMR.  Stakeholders from different lifecycle stages were interviewed to elicit their preferences on SMR cost characteristics.  AHP with expert elicitation is used to rank the relative importance of cost factors influencing the LCOE.  Project financing is ranked as the most important cost factor influencing the commercial success of the SMR.  Further research is required to understand the interdependencies between cost factors influencing the LCOE. Declarations Declarations of interest: none Abstract: The cost of a nuclear power plant (NPP) is an important influence on the future commercial success of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). At the early design stage, the cost requirements of SMRs can be derived from an analysis of the factors driving the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). It is often much later into the development process before customers are engaged and their cost requirements are known, by which time *Revised Manuscript Click here to view linked References