Four years ago, the Trump administration issued an analysis of the importance of restoring America’s civil nuclear competitiveness. One of its major recommendations was for the creation of “a whole-of-government approach to supporting the U.S. nuclear energy industry in exporting civil nuclear technology in competition with state-owned enterprises.”

In the past several years, hundreds of billions of federal dollars have poured into the development and demonstration of next-generation small modular and advanced fuel cycle reactors. At the same time, nuclear power has achieved dramatic new international support as a clean energy technology and response to the need for energy security in an unstable international environment.

EXIM has issued Letters of Interest for up to $3 billion for nuclear exports to Poland and Romania. It has a pending nuclear sector transaction for the refurbishment of Romania’s Cernavoda 1 nuclear power plant. It has expressed support for nuclear energy exports to Africa.

USTDA supports the export of U.S. goods and services for infrastructure projects in emerging economies. Like EXIM, USTDA has committed funding for the export of nuclear power technologies to Poland and Romania. However, it also is supporting activities that could lead to nuclear exports to Ukraine and Indonesia. Much of this funding is for technical activities. It includes a significant focus on the potential export of small modular reactors.

DFC is a U.S. government agency that was created out of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and USAID’s Development Credit Authority. One of the landmark actions of DFC in mid-2020 was reversing OPIC’s legacy prohibition on providing support for nuclear power projects. It is generally looking at civil nuclear projects that can replace dependence on Russian energy. It has provided a $1 billion Letter of Interest for Romanian nuclear projects and it signed a Letter of Intent to support the export of American SMRs to South Africa.

The Department of State has several nuclear export-related organizations including the Bureau of International Security and Non-Proliferation, and within it, the Office of Nuclear Energy, Safety and Security, that has responsibility for negotiating nuclear cooperation agreements, among other responsibilities.

Beginning in 2021, the State Department created the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Technology (FIRST) program. It is designed to provide capacity building support to partner nations as they develop nuclear programs. FIRST activities are designed to work in support of the IAEA’s nuclear infrastructure development activities. And Canada, Japan, and South Korea are Contributing Partners.

FIRST has several sub-programs. Last year it launched Project Phoenix which is designed to replace coal plants with nuclear plants in Europe and Eurasia. It also has the Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition Support (NEXT) and the Winning an Edge through Cooperation in Advanced Nuclear (WECAN) sub-programs. NEXT focuses on providing nations with a “suite of USG-sponsored project preparations tools” including regulatory, financial, and technical advice and training hubs. WECAN is a partnership with Japan on the development of nuclear technologies in third countries, with a first effort in Ghana.

The total funding for FIRST projects seems to be less than $100 million to date, including $25 million for the Nuclear Futures Package. The program identifies over 30 countries that it is working with in South America, Africa, Central Europe, Eurasia, and South Asia. The program notes that it has had over 125 “capacity-building engagements through 2023.” It is not clear how much is being spent on each of the countries that it has engaged.

It convenes the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee (CINTAC) that makes recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce on means of expanding “U.S. exports of civil nuclear goods and services” and “provides for greater U.S. government and U.S. industry coordination on international civil nuclear energy issues…and commercial strategic objectives.”

In addition to CINTAC, ITA has launched the SMR Public-Private Program (SMR PPP) which is designed to promote government-to-government “dialogue and coordination with the private sector.” The focus is on technical assistance to Bulgaria, Romania, and other nations in Europe and Eurasia. It also has created a Small Modular Reactors Working group to support the SMR PPP. ITA is financially supporting Westinghouse’s front-end engineering and design work for the deployment of their reactors in Poland.

NNSA is supporting the U.S. Nuclear Nexus, an initiative designed to provide U.S. companies with one-stop access and information on export control laws, regulations, and international safeguards and security requirements. The goal is to ensure that reactor exporters are aware of their national security responsibilities.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm discussed enhancing cooperation in the nuclear industry, particularly focusing on potential projects at the Khmelnytsky Nuclear Power Plant. The meeting emphasized the successful history of Ukrainian-American collaboration in nuclear energy and underscored the importance of expanding it further. This dialogue reflects Ukraine's efforts to strengthen its energy infrastructure and integrate its markets into broader European frameworks amidst geopolitical challenges.

Ukraine and Hyundai Engineering & Construction are strengthening their collaboration to advance Ukraine's nuclear energy program. The focus is on constructing up to nine new Westinghouse AP1000 units, exploring small modular reactors, and expanding research. The meeting between Energoatom and Hyundai E&C signifies a significant step toward enhancing Ukraine's energy independence and research capabilities within the nuclear sector.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant faces critical power supply issues as it loses connection to its last backup line, heightening concerns about reactor safety and cooling functions. The disconnection of the 330 kilovolt (kV) line, caused by issues across the Dnipro River, leaves the plant reliant solely on its 750 kV line, with no immediate back-up options available. Despite the main power line remaining operational, the loss of back-up power exacerbates the already precarious safety and security challenges faced by Europe's largest nuclear power facility, which has experienced frequent power cuts since August 2022.

The United States and Bulgaria signed an Intergovernmental Agreement to collaborate on Bulgaria’s civil nuclear power program, as well as potential clean energy initiatives. This agreement builds on the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding, establishes a framework for joint efforts in designing, constructing, and commissioning a new reactor at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, and promotes the change of technical expertise, identification of financing options, and regulatory best practices sharing. Bulgarian Minister of Energy Rumen Radev emphasized the agreement's importance in promoting carbon neutrality, emphasizing cooperation in training, knowledge exchange, and supply chain development involving Bulgarian companies.

South Korea's Hyundai Engineering & Construction is the sole candidate meeting criteria for constructing two new Westinghouse AP1000 units at Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant. Other candidates which expressed interest included Fluor BV, Bechtel Nuclear Power Company Limited, and a Chinese consortium. Hyundai E&C's advancement to the next phase follows a pre-qualifying review recommending it for the shortlist. The project has a target completion date for the first unit set at 2033, totaling 2300 MWe capacity.

Westinghouse signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power Limited (CNP) to build four AP300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in northeast England, marking the United Kingdom’s first privately-financed SMR fleet. CNP, in collaboration with Jacobs and Interpath Advisory, aims to have a fully licensed site ready by 2027, with private funding driving the project forward. This initiative aligns with the U.K. government's ambition to expand nuclear energy capacity and underscores the growing interest in SMR technology as a viable solution for clean and secure energy production across various industrial sectors.

France and Bulgaria have signed a declaration of intent to establish bilateral cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, including the areas of nuclear construction programs, advanced reactors, and development of a European supply chain. The declaration will see the two members of the European Nuclear Alliance continuing to cooperate in promotion of nuclear energy within the European Union. The declaration also analyzes the possibilities of cooperation on new construction projects in Bulgaria based on European Gen III+ technologies including large reactors and small modular reactors.

Russia and Venezuela engaged in discussions about expanding cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, as announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following talks with his Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil in Caracas. The discussions, part of broader bilateral talks covering energy, medicine, space exploration, and agriculture, underscore the nations' commitment to strengthening ties across various sectors to enhance their national economies and technological sovereignty. While a civil nuclear cooperation agreement between Venezuela and Russia was signed in 2010, recent discussions signal renewed interest in nuclear collaboration despite past shelving of specific reactor construction plans.

Great British Nuclear is holding talks with Hitachi to purchase a site in Wylfa, an island off the coast of Wales, for the construction of a new nuclear power plant. Hitachi previously withdrew from plans to build a nuclear reactor at the Welsh site in 2019 due to financial disagreements with the British government, resulting in significant losses of $2.7 billion for the company.

Poland's government is considering France's Électricité de France (EDF) SA as a potential bidder for the second stage of its second nuclear power plant. The decision on the next plant and its location will be made by 2028 but remains open for now. The potential shift towards French involvement reflects Poland's efforts under Prime Minister Donald Tusk's administration to repair relations with European Union partners and diversify its energy sources amid rising electricity costs and the need to meet EU climate goals.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and Kyoto Fusioneering, a private Japanese fusion technology company, signed an agreement to advance tritium breeding blanket technology towards commercialization, aiming to bolster fusion energy development. A breeding blanket is a component to be used in fusion machines, for producing tritium, a fuel of fusion reactors. The agreement also sets the stage for collaboration on tritium fuel cycle, remote handling, and power conversion technologies.

Italy's Ansaldo Energia signed a memorandum of understanding with Romania's Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN) during a bilateral summit, to work on a nuclear power plant in Romania. The deal was given a $2.15 billion financing line from the state export credit agency SACE. Ansaldo Nucleare, Ansaldo's subsidiary, will handle engineering and procurement for the extension of the Cernavoda plant's Unit 1 lifespan, along with Candu Energy from Canada and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, while also assisting SNN in completing Units 3 and 4 of the plant.

Great Britain signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada to strengthen collaboration on fusion energy development, aiming to enhance research, regulatory harmonization, and improving workforce skills. The agreement, inked at the International Energy Agency meeting in Paris, will also support Britain's £650 million fusion program. Fusion holds promise as a carbon-free electricity source with the potential to mitigate long-lasting radioactive waste, offering an alternative to traditional nuclear fission plants. This agreement follows Britain's cooperation deal with the United States in November aimed at advancing the commercial viability of fusion energy.

Westinghouse Electric Company signed a deal with the Dutch government to initiate a Technical Feasibility Study (TFS) investigating the viability of deploying AP1000 reactors at the Borssele Nuclear Power Station. This collaboration marks a significant stride in the Netherlands' pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2050, aligning with EU climate objectives and the Dutch commitment to carbon-neutral electricity by 2035.

French small modular reactor (SMR) company Naarea and Dutch company Thorizon have signed a strategic partnership to advance the development of molten salt reactors (MSR) in Europe. The partnership aims to create the best conditions to pool resources for safety and security demonstrations and knowledge in molten salt technology, develop shared laboratories and test facilities, and increase political and public support for MSR technology. Both companies will work for optimal modularity in their design with Naarea providing modular manufacturing and Thorizon creating its modular core made of molten salt cartridges.

The International Energy Agency’s 2024 Ministerial Meeting and 50th Anniversary event agreed to recognize nuclear power as a pivotal technology for achieving energy security and decarbonization. IAEA Executive Director Fatih Birol noted, “For the first time, there was a full paragraph in the recognition of nuclear power to address energy security and climate change issues.” The ministerial communiqué added that the world must recognize the importance of ensuring the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation.

Poland is analyzing if its first nuclear power plant can be built by 2033 amid delays the project suffered under the previous government that lost power in last year’s election. The previous Law and Justice (PiS) government chose Westinghouse to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant, but the financing model to build it has yet to be decided, while the environmental permit for the plant was issued a year later than originally scheduled. Polish climate minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska said the government is now negotiating with the European Commission on a financial mechanism that would support the project.

Slovakia is initiating a feasibility study to look into the potential for small modular reactors (SMR) with an indicative timeline to 2035. Slovenské elektrárne announced that staff from the U.S.’ Project Phoenix have visited Slovakia to carry out the initial phase of a field survey of sites for the feasibility study on the construction of SMRs in the country. This feasibility study is part of the U.S.-funded Project Phoenix which aims to support energy security and climate goals by creating pathways for coal-to-SMR power plant conversions.

Westinghouse announced it has formally submitted an application to the United Kingdom Department of Energy and Net Zero (DESNZ) for approval to enter the General Design Assessment (GDA) of the AP300 small modular reactor. The GDA application comes after the AP300 SMR was selected by Community Nuclear Power (CNP) to build four AP300 SMRs in northeast England. The AP300 SMR is a Gen III+ advanced reactor based on Westinghouse’s AP1000 large reactor technology.

India will invite private firms to invest about $26 billion in its nuclear energy sector in order to increase the amount of electricity from sources that don’t produce carbon dioxide emissions. The government is in talks with at least five private firms to invest around $5.3 billion each. This is the first time New Delhi is pursuing private investment in nuclear power as the government hopes to build 11,000 megawatts of new nuclear power generation capacity by 2040.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire announced that he would convene a meeting of pro-nuclear European Union countries to discuss the launch of an “Important Project of Common Interest” (IPCEI) in the field of nuclear power. IPCEIs were introduced in the European Union to support strategic projects focused on cutting-edge technologies and industries that are crucial for the EU’s future. Projects with IPCEI status benefit from relaxed state aid rules, allowing EU countries to finance them with the blessing of the EU’s competition authority.

Électricité de France (EDF) reported a profit of €10 billion for 2023 after a record loss of €17.9 billion in 2022. Additionally, net financial debt fell by €10.1 billion from a year earlier. This profit is the result of rebounding French nuclear output and higher power prices. However, EDF is still under pressure due to the rising costs of its reactor projects and annual investment is expected to rise to about €25 billion in a few years.

The IAEA has designated the Center for Science of Information at Purdue University as the first IAEA Collaborating Centre to support the Agency’s activities on artificial intelligence for nuclear power applications. The five-year Collaborating Centre agreement will support IAEA programmatic activities and knowledge sharing on advancements and innovation in AI for nuclear power. This includes the creation of a “benchmark hub” for coordination and data management, as well as other activities relevant to the development and assessment of AI technologies in collaboration with IAEA member states.

Swedish utility Vattenfall said it is aiming to put a new nuclear reactor into commission in the first half of the 2030s as part of Sweden’s decision to reinvest in nuclear energy. The government stated that it wants to increase production equivalent to two nuclear reactors by 2035, with a massive expansion to follow by 2045. In June 2022, Vattenfall launched a pilot study into the construction of at least two small modular reactors at the Ringhals nuclear power station, concluding that there are good conditions for building new nuclear power but that it was too early to choose the type of reactor.

The revamped project plan for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is being finalized ahead of being submitted to the ITER council in June, with modification to its configuration, phased installation, and new research schedule. Dialogue has also been underway with France’s nuclear safety authority to create a strategy to address ITER’s first-of-a-kind regulatory needs and a revised path to nuclear licensing. ITER is a major international project to build a tokamak fusion device designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.

Czech nuclear power plant operator CEZ said that its fuel diversification strategy will see the first Westinghouse VVER fuel delivered to its Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant at the end of the year. Four Russian-built VVER-440 reactor units are currently in operation at the Dukovany site, with Westinghouse using a fuel assembly design based on fuel it is already supplying to the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. CEZ began a process of diversifying its fuel suppliers in 2018 in an attempt to eliminate the supply of nuclear fuel from Russian nuclear company TVEL.

Turkey reported progress on the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant as the reactor compartment has been prepared for controlled assembly of the reactor and the generation reactor has been installed in its pre-designed position. Rosatom director general Alexei Likhachev added that the construction readiness of the first block is more than 90% complete and all of the equipment of the nuclear island has been installed. Akkuyu is Turkey’s first nuclear power plant and is being built by Rosatom under its build-own-operate (BOO) model.

The United Kingdom civil and defense nuclear sectors have launched the Destination Nuclear cross-sector initiative in order to boost the workforce to help deliver the country’s nuclear expansion ambitions. The civil and defense nuclear workforce will need to double over the next 20 years, supporting around 80,000 additional skilled jobs across the United Kingdom. The British government recently launched a roadmap for reaching its ambition for the United Kingdom to have 24 GWe of nuclear generating capacity by 2050.

The presidents of Brazil’s National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) and Eletronuclear covered numerous areas of nuclear energy development in recent discussions. The discussions included the Angra 3 unit’s prospects for 2029 completion, domestic fuel supply, the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor, and site selection for the radioactive waste-focused Nuclear Technology Centre (CENTENA). The two organizations also agreed on the need for a fresh Brazilian nuclear program, with CNEN President Francisco Rondinelli indicating the process of developing it would be outlined after June’s 5th National Conference on Science, Technology, & Innovation.

India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has given the go-ahead for Kakrapar 4 reactor unit to move to the next stage of commissioning and increase power to 50% following a satisfactory safety review. Phase-C commissioning will see the power of the reactor gradually increased in three stages as the reactor undergoes testing. The 700 MWe pressurized heavy water reactor first reached criticality in December.

China successfully installed the external dome for its Linglong One land-based small modular reactor (SMR) in Changjiang, marking the completion of the primary structure of the plant. The Linglong One is the first SMR globally that has passed the universal safety review by the IAEA, and has a power generation capacity of 125 megawatts. China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is developing the reactor.

The U.S. Senate approved $2.7 billion in funding for domestic uranium enrichment as part of the Emergency National Security Appropriation Act of 2024. The measure repurposes unspent federal infrastructure funds to expand production of conventional low enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) at facilities in the United States. The bill faces challenges in the House of Representatives, mainly for reasons unrelated to the HALEU funding.

According to two anonymous sources familiar with the Biden administration, President Joe Biden does not plan to fill former Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) member Jeff Baran’s spot until next year. The White House is currently focused on making sure that NRC Chair Christopher Hansen stays on the panel, which is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. The White House did not renominate Baran after it became clear he would have trouble securing enough votes for confirmation, with bipartisan critics seeing him as not sufficiently committed to accelerating next-generation reactors.

The Department of Energy and Kairos Energy have signed a technology investment agreement to implement an Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) risk reduction award to support the design, construction, and commissioning of the Hermes demonstration reactor. The agreement will see the DoE provide up to $303 million using a performance-based milestone approach. The Hermes is a 35 MW thermal non-power version of Kairos’ fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor to be built at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

American nuclear fuel company Centrus Energy stated that supply chain challenges have created difficulties in securing the necessary 5B cylinders for the entire production year. Although the shortages are expected to be temporary, Centrus conceded that it will no longer be able to deliver the anticipated 900 kilograms of nuclear material under the second part of its contract with the Department of Energy. Centrus delivered 20 kilograms of HALEU to the Department of Energy in November, ahead of schedule. The challenge is now with the delivery of the quantity of the fuel required in the second phase of the contract.

TerraPower has selected five suppliers to support its Natrium Reactor Demonstration Project in Wyoming. The latest awards were given to GERB Vibration Control Systems, Thermal Engineering International, Hayward Tyler, Framatome US Government Solutions, and Teledyne Brown Engineering. The Natrium Reactor is a TerraPower and GE-Hitachi-developed sodium-cooled fast reactor with a 345 MWe capacity, and the demonstration project includes engineering and construction partners, nuclear companies, universities, and national laboratory partners.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved GE Vernova’s nuclear fuel business to manufacture, ship, and analyze the performance of nuclear fuel with uranium-235 enrichments of up to 8%. The NRC’s license amendment approval means that Global Nuclear Fuel’s (GNF) plant in North Carolina is the first commercial facility in the United States licensed to fabricate high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) up to 8%. GNF and GE Vernova’s have worked together on advanced reactor research for the Department of Energy’s Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) program.

Georgia Power announced that Unit 4 of the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant has reached initial criticality, with the unit’s in-service date now projected to be during the second quarter of 2024. The reactor’s power output will now be raised to prepare it for synchronization to the electric grid. Fuel loading at Vogtle 4 began in August 2023, but the in-service date was revised after a motor fault was discovered in a reactor coolant pump.

Constellation Energy is asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for an initial license renewal for its Clinton Nuclear Power Plant in Illinois, which would allow the facility to operate through 2047. The Clinton power plant has been online since 1987 and previously received a federal nuclear production tax credit that will support the plant through 2032. This is the latest in a series of investments Constellation is making to accelerate its nuclear energy growth expansion, including the acquisition of a 44% ownership stake in the South Texas Project nuclear plant.

The Virginia State House and Senate have approved different versions of legislation that would help advance the deployment of small modular reactors (SMR) in the state. Legislation from Representative Israel O’Quinn would allow Appalachian Power Company to recover early development costs for SMRs and a similar bill from Senator Dave Marsden would apply to both Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy and allow certain additional costs to be recouped. Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin has expressed his support for advanced reactor technology, including it in his four-year energy plan as a way to provide reliable energy.

A new bill introduced in the Kentucky State Senate would formally establish the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Authority to support the development of nuclear energy in the state. Additionally, Senate Joint Resolution 140 calls for the state’s Public Service Commission to prepare for the process of regulating applications for the siting and construction of nuclear energy facilities in Kentucky. Kentucky had a moratorium on the storage of spent fuel for over three decades but repealed it in 2017.

The Southeast Nuclear Advisory Council (SENAC) published a study finding that the nuclear energy industry in the southeast United States generates an annual economic impact of $42.9 billion, supports 152,598 jobs, and generates $13.7 billion in labor income. SENAC presents a comprehensive analysis of the economic impacts of the nuclear sectors in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The study underscores the need for states to establish economic development plans centered around nuclear power, emphasizing that the southeastern United States is uniquely positioned to capitalize on emerging technologies and opportunities in the nuclear sector.

The International Energy Forum released an outlooks comparison report with energy projections to 2030 and 2045, comparing the short and long-term energy outlooks from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and OPEC and then examined a wide range of scenarios published by leading industry and intergovernmental organizations. The report found that renewable, hydro, biomass, and nuclear are expected to grow by a total of 31 to 63% by 2030 in all six of the report’s scenarios and up to 224% by 2045. More than half of the scenarios show that nuclear demand will increase by more than 50% by 2050.

The Welsh Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee has undertaken an inquiry to consider how Wales could be a future nuclear powerhouse and learn more about the opportunities and barriers that face the nuclear sector. The inquiry concluded that a decision by the British government on the future of nuclear development at the sites of Wylfa and Trawsfynydd is urgently needed and that the current lack of clarity is hindering efforts to build up the necessary skills base. The Committee recommends that the British government set out when it will confirm the designated sites for future nuclear projects and the timeframes for implementation, and that the Welsh government set out how it will work with the British government and Welsh partners on local workforce planning.

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