A recent RAND report on the sources of American dynamism and decline is very relevant to the country’s desire to lead any civil nuclear resurgence.

There are currently 440 operable reactors worldwide producing slightly less than 400,000 megawatts of power. Adding one-third to that total would require roughly another 120-130 new, large reactors.

But there are currently only 60 reactors under construction, the majority of which are in China. And China alone is proposing to build another 150 nuclear plants beyond its current construction.

These smaller reactors are projected to be less expensive, safer, and more widely deployable for energy and associated power production purposes, such as industrial and AI-driven data center applications.

But aside from military nuclear power, and limited examples from Russia and China, most new, small reactors are still in development, as are their vital governance standards, which Russia and China are keenly trying to dilute.

China, under the Belt and Road Initiative, has engaged about 140 nations, including virtually all nations in Africa and many in the Middle East and South Asia. Russia has numerous nuclear agreements with developing economy nations, far exceeding those of the U.S.

Further, if these nations are growing more skeptical of American power, it is a question whether they will they be willing to accept a likely superior U.S. nuclear technology and its higher governance standards when they can get China, or Russia, to favorably finance a small reactor package. This includes operating the plant for them until their staff is trained and possibly accepting the repatriation of the nuclear waste.

The Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, disrupted U.S. diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and complicated negotiations over a larger package that includes U.S. support for a civil nuclear power program in Saudi Arabia. These bilateral negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation have been underway for years, and a major sticking point in the discussions revolves around Washington's insistence on Saudi Arabia refraining from enriching uranium on its territory. Another hurdle is the Saudi unwillingness to accept the IAEA’s safeguards Additional Protocol, which would allow for intrusive inspections of its nuclear facilities, and provide greater confidence of no diversion of the program for nuclear weapons purposes. As the Carnegie Endowment’s Mark Hibbs notes, despite the difficulties the two sides seem to be intent on finding a way forward. The rationale for the normalization package and U.S. nuclear engagement with Riyadh persists because of the threat posed by Iran and the potential for the weapons breakout of its nuclear program and the desire to prevent China (or Russia) from gaining advantage as the Saudi’s long-term nuclear supplier. However, it is very unlikely that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would be able to conclude a formal 123 nuclear cooperation agreement that would sanction the transfer of sensitive nuclear technology anytime in the near future. Congressional approval for such an agreement will always be uncertain and could contain conditions. But the geostrategic competition between the U.S. and China and other global imperatives continue to push the possibility of U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear engagement forward, while the details of that cooperation remain unclear.

With reports of a third drone attack around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in two weeks, IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi released a statement urging restraint from all sides while refusing to place definitive blame for the strike. The Russian operators reported to the IAEA team that an attempted drone attack on the facility’s training center had been neutralized, but IAEA officials did not get access to the area. IAEA experts have been stationed at the site since 2022 and have repeatedly urged that neither side should store heavy military equipment at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant nor should either Russia or Ukraine fire at the plant.

Ukrainian intelligence reported that Russian forces are flying kamikaze drones over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence added that Russian forces have equipped drone launch sites next to Zaporizhzhia's sixth reactor.

French firm Électricité de France (EDF) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) submitted final bids to build four nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic. Czech power group CEZ is seeking bids for the new nuclear power units, with the contracts planned to be ready for signing by March 2025 and the first reactor due to launch in 2036. In the bidding process, the Czech government eliminated U.S. company Westinghouse over flaws in its offer and Russia’s Rosatom and China General Nuclear (CGN) over security concerns.

The European Commission approved financial aid from the Czech Republic for building a new nuclear power plant. The Czech government made adjustments to ensure the aid wouldn't disrupt the electricity market. The 1200-megawatt power plant will be built next to an existing one in Dukovany and will operate from 2036 to 2096. To prevent overcompensation, additional gains from the project will be shared with the Czech government during its entire operational lifetime.

Ghana is looking to build its first nuclear power plant to add low-carbon energy to its existing mix. Both the United States and Russia are among the potential candidates to build Ghana’s nuclear power plant, along with China, France, and South Korea. The winner of the ongoing bidding process will be announced at the end of 2024, and Ghanaian official Stephen Yamoah stated that the country aims to begin construction in 2026. Ghana is aiming for 5% of its energy mix to be nuclear by 2030 and 35% by 2070. A new analysis indicates that reports that China has already won the competition are incorrect.

Sources have informed Reuters that the United Arab Emirates will soon offer a tender for the construction of a new nuclear power plant. The United Arab Emirates reportedly plans to seek bids this year to build four new reactors, aiming to award the tender and start the construction as soon as this year so that the new plant would be operational by 2032. The United Arab Emirates began nuclear power operations at the Barakah facility in 2021.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), ARC Clean Technology, and New Brunswick Power signed a trilateral collaboration agreement with the goal of establishing teaming agreements for global small modular reactor (SMR) reactor fleet deployment. The new agreement establishes firm commitments to deliverables, processes and timelines to advance discussions for participation and potential investment in the deployment of ARC’s ARC-100 units. The three organizations previously signed a memorandum of understanding last year exploring collaboration opportunities for the commercialization of the ARC-100 SMR.

The IAEA has kicked off a first-of-a-kind collaboration with the Group of 20 (G20) through the Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG), marking the first time the IAEA has presented to the G20 on issues related to nuclear power. The IAEA will be making a series of contributions to the working group throughout 2024, providing information on nuclear energy’s key role in the net-zero transition. Among these contributions is the Nuclear Energy for Net-Zero: Accelerating Investment in the Clean Energy Transitions report, which provides an overview of nuclear power in the clean energy mix and underscores the need to speed up nuclear investments.

The United Kingdom’s National Nuclear Laboratory and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) are collaborating on developing advanced nuclear fuel for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs). This agreement will combine Japan's experience in coated particle fuel with the U.K.'s advanced facilities to create a domestic fuel source for both countries. This follows the United Kingdom’s funding of $75 million for research into HTGRs, aiming to get a demonstration project up and running by the end of the decade.

Poland’s Industria and Rolls-Royce announced they will move forward to the next stage of plans for the construction of small modular reactors (SMR) in Poland using Rolls-Royce’s technology. Going forward, the Polish Industry of Climate and Environment will move ahead to the next step which would be to issue a Decision in Principle to deploy SMRs. Last year, Industria selected Rolls-Royce’s SMR technology to fulfill the zero-emission energy goals of the Central Hydrogen Cluster and as part of their plans to produce 50,000 tons of low-carbon hydrogen every year.

Bechtel announced that geological surveys for Poland’s first nuclear power plant project at Lubiatowo-Kopalino have begun. The surveys will be conducted from May through November, and the findings will be utilized in the earthworks design for the plant, including the three nuclear power units, the inflow basin, and the cooling water channels. The investigation will also inform the Location Report which will help the investor, Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe, obtain a construction permit.

Westinghouse Electric Corporation has delivered its first nuclear fuel to unit 5 at the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in Bulgaria. Bulgarian Acting Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov stated that Bulgaria plans to gradually load the first 43 cartridges of fresh nuclear fuel in May. In 2022, Bulgaria's National Assembly voted to accelerate the process of securing an alternative to Russia as a supplier of nuclear fuel for Russian-designed VVER-1000 units and signed a 10-year contract with Westinghouse to fabricate and deliver VVER-1000 nuclear fuel.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed a memorandum of understanding that will expand the countries’ partnership into nuclear energy infrastructure. Under this MoU, the two countries will expedite exchanges in sharing information related to the nuclear industry, improving nuclear power plant facilities, and strengthening cooperation in small modular reactors (SMR) and tritium removal facilities. South Korea is exploring additional opportunities in Romania’s nuclear industry after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) signed a contract last year to construct a tritium removal facility at Romania’s Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant site.

The inauguration of JT-60SA, the world's most powerful fusion reactor, marks a significant step towards clean and abundant energy. This tokamak, located in Japan, is a product of an international collaboration between the European Union and Japan and is designed to confine superheated gasses for fusion reactions. The partnership brings together 170 laboratories and industrial partners from 29 countries.

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) launched a supplier group to ensure smooth manufacturing and deployment of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR). This group will consist of qualified companies that meet specific criteria and are willing to invest in the BWRX-300 supply chain. The first company to join the group is BWXT Canada Ltd., which has already been contracted for engineering of the BWRX-300 reactor pressure vessel for Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington New Nuclear Project.

The French government received clearance from the European Commission to provide Électricité de France (EDF) a further $321.6 million for the front-end design phase of a project to develop small modular reactors (SMR). The Nuward project aims to come up with a design that has a power output of up to 300 MWe. The European Commission approved $53.6 million in French state aid for the previous phase, which focused on gathering new knowledge for SMR design and construction.

The United Kingdom's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s (CERN) Laboratory for Particle Physics signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on neutron research and advance nuclear reactors, fuel cycles, and nuclear fusion. NPL will join CERN’s neutron time-of-flight facility, which is used to measure neutron-related processes for advanced reactor development and nuclear fusion. NPL will study reactions relevant to fusion development, including hydrogen and tritium production. This collaboration is expected to enhance simulation capabilities and operational understanding of next-generation fission and fusion reactors.

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed H.R. 1042, which bans imports of Russian uranium to the United States. It is the first concrete step the U.S. government has taken to end Russian uranium imports. Following its passage, Senator Jim Risch stated, “With the passage of our legislation, America is taking an important step to spur uranium conversion and enrichment in the U.S., support advanced reactor development and energy independence, and end Russian control of the global nuclear supply chain. H.R. 1042 previously passed the House of Representatives last December and is a complement to the Nuclear Fuel Security Act. It is likely that President Biden will sign the legislation.

Nations from the Group of Seven (G7) have agreed to work to reduce their reliance on civil nuclear energy and fuel from Russia. G7 energy ministers said their countries will engage in a multilateral effort to promote a diversified nuclear fuel supply chain free from Russian influence, as well as promoting nuclear fusion as a future energy source. This agreement marks a pivotal moment for G7 to secure a sustainable path for their energy needs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Group of Seven (G7) nations released a communique to support the use of nuclear energy in countries that opt to use it following the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy, and Environment. They committed to support multilateral efforts to strengthen the resilience of nuclear supply chains and to strengthen cooperation for building a robust nuclear supply chain in the framework of G7. The ministers also saw that new reactor designs could bring additional benefits such as improved safety and sustainability, reduced cost of production, and reduced project risk.

U.S. Admiral John Aquilino stated that China is pursuing plans to develop floating nuclear reactors that could power facilities it has built in contested areas of the South China Sea. Aquilino added that this prospect would undermine the region’s security and stability at a time when the international community has not yet crafted standards governing floating reactors’ safe use. These concerns also come at a time when China has been increasingly aggressive in waters off of Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.

According to the Xinhua news agency. China is set to revise its atomic energy law to promote the development of nuclear power. The draft of the amended law will clarify the nuclear regulatory system for nuclear power and promote research and development and the competitiveness of China’s domestic industry, containing provisions to strengthen safety oversight of nuclear fuel and its import and export. The draft has been submitted to an ongoing session of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress for further deliberation.

IAEA Chief Rafael Mariano Grossi told DW that Iran is “weeks rather than months” away from having enough enriched uranium to develop a nuclear bomb. Grossi has stressed that the IAEA is not getting the level of access he believes it needs in Iran, which adds more to the speculation around Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities and its nuclear program. On the other hand, Grossi added that although uranium enrichment at near weapons-grade levels is a cause for alarm, one cannot draw the direct conclusion that Iran now has a nuclear weapon.

During a state visit to Washington by Japanese President Fumio Kishida, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that U.S. and Japanese agencies have removed all highly enriched uranium (HEU) from the Japan Materials Testing Reactor Critical Assembly (JMTRC) two years ahead of schedule. The DoE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has worked with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to transport the remaining HEU from the JMTRC to the United States. Additionally, U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk and Japanese minister Masahito Moriyama released a joint statement announcing a partnership to accelerate the demonstration and commercialization of nuclear fusion energy.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has signed bilateral agreements with Japan and South Korea to cooperate in optimizing the nuclear nonproliferation features of their respective research reactor models aimed at export models. The NNSA and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) will collaborate to increase the proliferation resistance of research reactors in emerging nuclear power countries, and the NNSA and South Korea’s Ministry of Science and Information and Communication (MSIT) will collaborate to incorporate proliferation resistance concepts and optimize the design of Korea’s export-oriented research reactor pilot.

The World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2024 event took place in Kazakhstan, discussing the opportunities and challenges with meeting the COP28 pledges to triple nuclear capacity by 2050. Alongside extending the operating lives of many reactors to 60 or even 80 years, the event’s participants determined that will also require the construction of about 1,000 GWe of new nuclear capacity in the next 26 years. This level of deployment can be achieved with about twenty 1000 MWe large reactors and 70 300 MWe small modular reactors (SMR) every year. Additionally, the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2024 stated that rising uranium prices act as a catalyst to encourage the emergence of new producers in the market.

British company Rolls-Royce is scaling down plans to build new mini nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom following delays to a government design competition. Rolls-Royce had planned to build a heavy pressure vessel factory as part of its SMR program but has decided to ditch these plans because there is no longer enough time to build the factory and make vessels by the early 2030s. Six companies are currently shortlisted in Great British Nuclear’s competition to determine who will provide SMR prototypes, but this competition has experienced ongoing delays.

BWX Technologies (BWXT) is investing a total of CA$80 million ($58.6 million) in its Cambridge manufacturing plant in Ontario to support small modular reactors, traditional large-scale nuclear, and advanced reactors. BWXT President of Commercial Operations, John MacQuarrie, said the company expects to break ground “shortly” on the project, with construction expected to begin in the third quarter of this year and completion targeted for 2026. The Cambridge site is the largest commercial nuclear equipment manufacturing facility in North America.

The IAEA has begun its second review of operations to discharge treated water from the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant into the sea. In the review, the mission is slated to conduct an on-side survey of the Fukushima plant and exchange views with Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority. The IAEA team will then draw up a report on the safety of the release of treated water. The previous report compiled after the first review confirmed that the discharge was consistent with international safety standards.

The IAEA conducted a Phase 2 Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission to Poland, using the Milestones Approach to review the status of 19 nuclear infrastructure issues and check the readiness of Poland’s readiness to invite bids for their first nuclear power plant. The IAEA team praised Poland’s steps taken to develop the necessary infrastructure for a safe and sustainable nuclear power program. Among the areas highlighted for further action include the need to further review its legal and regulatory framework and finalize the preparatory work required for the contracting and construction stages.

The governor of Japan’s Niigata prefecture stated that restarting the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant would bring benefits of $2.84 billion for the area. Hideyo Hanazumi added that these benefits will be one of the factors for discussion to restart the plant’s No. 6 and 7 reactors. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant has been offline since the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant meltdown in 2012, and Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) still needs consent from the Niigata prefecture government to resume operations.

The Finnish Energy Industry group conducted a survey that found that 61% of Finnish citizens surveyed favored the adoption of nuclear power with just 9% opposing it. The results indicate the growing concerns of civilians towards climate change and the ongoing energy crisis in Europe. Finland currently has five commercial nuclear reactors, with the most recent reactor being the Olkiluoto-3 unit. Before Olkiluoto-3 began operating, the four other reactors already provided about a 35% share of Finland’s electricity production.

Georgia Power announced the start of commercial operations at unit 4 of the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant. Vogtle 4 reached first criticality in February of this year and was connected to the electrical grid in March. Vogtle units 3 and 4 are the first nuclear power units to be constructed in the United States in more than 30 years, and the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant is now the largest generator of clean energy in the country.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved its proposed rule that would streamline the environmental review process for advanced nuclear reactors, voting to codify recommendations that the agency’s staff estimates could reduce the costs of environmental reviews by 20-45%. The move comes amid a major bipartisan push on Capitol Hill to get advanced to a commercial scale in the United States, including by speeding up the regulatory process. Nuclear power advocates have also been pressing the agency to codify the findings of the generic environmental impact statement for advanced reactors.

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 18-1 to advance the renomination of Christopher Hanson as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Following this vote, the full U.S. Senate will consider Hanson’s nomination later this month. Hanson has been a commissioner since 2020 and was named chair by President Joe Biden in 2021. He is currently serving the remainder of former commissioner Stephen Burns’ term, which expires on June 30.

The CEO of Wyoming-based Earth Work Solutions confirmed that it has a $10 million contract to begin excavation work on the nation’s first small nuclear power plant on May 20. Earth Work Solutions received the contract from engineering giant Bechtel Corp. to begin excavation work on the Natrium reactor project. The Natrium reactor being built in Wyoming is based on TerraPower and GE Hitachi technology, with TerraPower leading the way on the demonstration project.

X-energy received a $148.5 million federal tax credit for the construction of the first-of-a-kind TX-1 fuel fabrication facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The tax credit is funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and is part of the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Tax Credit program. According to the filing, TX-1 is expected to begin licensed operations in 2026, where it is expected to produce up to 714,000 TRISO fuel pebbles per year.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a challenge to the license extension granted by the federal government for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Canada. The three-judge panel found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) adequately explained why California’s changing energy needs constitute the operation of the Diablo Canyon facility and that the record supported its findings of no undue risk to public health and safety. The three nonprofit organizations who sued to halt the extension decried the ruling and said they would consider asking for an en banc review of the decision.

Gillette-based L&H Industrial has partnered with BWX Technologies (BWXT) as a part of a deal to launch a multibillion-dollar industry in the micro nuclear reactor fuel. The plan is to build a one-stop shop in Wyoming for everything from manufacturing reactor vessels and electrical control panels to piping, wires, and concrete. The partnership also plans to provide consulting services, as well as operate and lease energy generated from the micro-nuclear reactors. BWXT is also involved in TerraPower’s plan to build an advanced reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

U.S. senators from both parties introduced legislation aimed at accelerating power plants run by nuclear fusion. The Fusion Energy Act would enable the development of a regulatory framework under the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), aimed at supporting the growth of commercial fusion, as well as requiring the NRC to report to Congress within a year about licensing commercial fusion plants. Fusion energy is considered the holy grail of clean energy, and recent breakthroughs have been achieved at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Six House Democrats have urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to adopt flexible guidance for the Inflation Reduction Act credit, which benefits existing nuclear power facilities. The congresspeople asked the Treasury Department to treat individual reactors sited at multi-reactor nuclear power stations as separate “facilities” under the Section 45U tax credit of the Inflation Reduction Act. Section 45U authorizes a base tax credit of 0.3 cents per kilowatt hours (kWH) for electricity produced by qualifying nuclear power facilities and is intended to prevent the premature closing of existing nuclear facilities.

Framatome broke ground on the $50 million expansion of its Operational Center for Excellence in Virginia, which provides specialized training and tooling to service and maintain nuclear power plants in North America and develop solutions for advanced and small modular reactors (SMR). The project includes expanding the site to accommodate more than 500 new employees, refurbishing its nuclear training center to support next-generation reactors, and increasing capacity for an innovation and design school. This will be Framatome’s third facility in the Lynchburg area.

The Office of Nuclear Energy is awarding $59.7 million to 25 U.S. colleges and universities, two national laboratories, and one industry organization to support nuclear energy development and provide access to world-class research facilities. 50 projects were supported in the following areas: Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (CINR) research and development, CINR integrated research projects, and access to nuclear science user facilities. With these awards, the Office of Nuclear Energy has now released total funding in excess of $1 billion since 2009 to U.S. colleges and universities to promote nuclear energy research and train the next generation of nuclear energy leaders.

Lawfare Media published an article highlighting some of the primary issues with U.S. cooperation with foreign partners on uranium enrichment. The article examines some of the legislative obstacles facing U.S. efforts to expand cooperation in uranium enrichment, pointing out that any transfer of major enrichment plant critical components requires the United States to enter into a 123 agreement with the recipient country. Additionally, Lawfare Media expresses concerns that sharing enrichment technology with foreign partners increases the potential of enabling a nuclear weapons capability in recipient states. To counter these concerns, the article argues that the U.S. government must take steps to ensure any cooperation efforts to weaken existing proliferation restraints.

The Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP) published a report cautioning against an unqualified embrace of advanced nuclear technology as a climate change solution. The report argues that the COP28 commitment to triple nuclear energy by 2050 poses significant national security challenges worldwide amid declining international cooperation on nuclear energy. Among these threats include the illicit proliferation of nuclear materials, plant sabotage, coercive threats, and military attacks on advanced nuclear facilities. The report also expresses concerns that nuclear reactors are being built in countries without pre-existing industries or where political stability is a concern.

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) published a report finding numerous benefits of transitioning coal power facilities to nuclear power. NASEO & NARUC’s report identified the top 25 coal-dependent regions that stand to benefit the most from a coal-to-nuclear transition and found that the transition could generate tens of millions of dollars annually. The report further argues that re-powering retired coal power plants with advanced reactors could be a significant economic boon for host communities, citing a Bipartisan Policy Council report that found repurposing coal plans could reduce SMR construction costs by 17 to 35%.

Market analyst company IDTechEx released a report that estimates the installation rate of small modular reactors (SMR) to grow significantly by the end of the decade. The report, Nuclear Small Modular Reactors 2023-2043, shows that the global market for SMRs is expected to reach $72.4 billion by 2033 and $295 billion by 2043. IDTechEx also outlines the level of potential of SMRs as tools for decarbonization and identifies additional business models to grid power supply as important motivators for uptake such as the ongoing AI boom.

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