Novel reactor technologies may herald a nuclear renaissance—and the United States is placing high hopes on them!

Although nuclear reactor construction in the United States has slowed since the early 1980s, it has been growing in China. Globally, nuclear energy projects slowed in the years following the Chernobyl disaster. For roughly the past decade, most countries have held a lukewarm attitude toward nuclear energy. Yet the International Energy Agency (IEA) states that a nuclear renaissance is imminent. The agency forecasts that global nuclear power generation will reach an all-time high by 2025. This projection stems from the imminent restart of several conventional nuclear plants in Japan—previously suspended after the Fukushima accident—as well as the commissioning of new reactors in China, India, South Korea, and Europe. Decades-long concerns over nuclear safety appear to be receding, and people—governments, at least—are weighing the pros and cons, including the challenge of storing radioactive waste, whose hazards may persist for millennia. This shift could foster a more favorable market for countries seeking to export small nuclear reactors. If small reactors help broaden nuclear energy’s adoption, they could become a potent tool against climate change. According to an analysis by Our World in Data, nuclear power generally emits no carbon pollution—the primary driver of global warming—during operation, and produces more energy per square meter of land than any fossil fuel or renewable energy source. At the COP28 climate negotiations held in Dubai last December, the United States spearheaded a pledge to triple global nuclear energy capacity; this commitment has already been signed by 25 countries. The U.S. government has allocated $72 million to its international Small Modular Reactor (SMR) initiative, dubbed FIRST, providing partner countries with a full suite of tools—from workshops to engineering and feasibility studies—to support purchasing U.S.-manufactured SMRs. Even larger funding comes from national financial institutions: the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation have pledged $3 billion and $1 billion, respectively. Two Polish SMRs are being designed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, a U.S.-Japan joint venture headquartered in North Carolina. The United States and U.S. companies have also achieved success in Southeast Asia, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe—regions where some nations reliant on Russian natural gas are striving to reduce their dependence on increasingly adversarial Russia under Vladimir Putin. Russia and China Lead the U.S. in Overseas Nuclear Energy Russia leads in exporting its advanced nuclear technology overseas, with 19 reactors currently under construction across seven countries—mostly conventional reactors. China is exporting two reactors abroad but is building more domestically than any other nation and operates the world’s only commercially operational land-based small modular reactor (SMR). The United States has no international SMR projects under construction, yet is attracting interest from several countries with its SMR technology. These efforts could potentially undermine Russia’s overseas ambitions.

Polish state-owned enterprises are actively participating in nuclear energy technology development.

According to a February 16 report by Polskie Radio, Poland’s oil company PKN Orlen and Polish energy firm Synthos signed an agreement in June 2021 to expand the deployment of small and micro nuclear power units. PKN Orlen is now planning to establish a joint venture named Orlen Synthos Green Energy. This venture will oversee domestic construction projects for micro and small nuclear reactors and commercialize nuclear energy in Poland. PKN Orlen will deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) supplied by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, a U.S. company. Daniel Obajtek, CEO of Orlen, stated: “Our goal is to utilize the most efficient, cost-effective, and safest energy source—and to build Poland’s first small reactor within this decade.” Investments in clean and low-carbon energy will boost Poland’s economic development, protect the natural environment, and create numerous new jobs.

Polish Tycoons Solowow and Solorz Revive Partnership for Small Nuclear Reactors

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Polish Tycoons Solowow and Solorz Revive Partnership for Small Nuclear Reactors

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