The USA, Japan and South Korea are ramping up nuclear expansion by signing a trilateral SMR cooperation agreement, giving countries an alternative to Chinese and Russian reactor vendors.
All over the world, countries are reinvigorating the demand for nuclear power – whether it be from growing use of AI and the need for nuclear powered data centres, fossil fuel supply disruption due to conflicts and wars, or other causes.
In amongst this growing global demand, Northeast Asia is experiencing a rapid nuclear energy revival as Japan and South Korea move to prioritise the baseload clean energy source into their energy security strategies.
Following the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan planned to swiftly decommission its entire nuclear sector. But over the past decade and a half, the pros have outweighed the cons of nuclear energy for the country’s energy security, independence and climate goals.
As for South Korea, the nuclear energy industry has seen steady growth for years, continuing to develop despite varying degrees of government support.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the memorandum “outlines opportunities for our three countries, which have complementary advantages in the civil nuclear field, to encourage mutually beneficial cooperation among their respective nuclear industries.”
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