This collaboration will help position Europe as a leader in advanced nuclear technology over the next four years. We are committed to developing clean, affordable, and reliable energy solutions, and this experiment is a vital step towards achieving that goal.

There is increasing market acceptance of Russian SMRs, despite Western geopolitical pressures. Numerous countries in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, which agreed an SMR investment with Rosatom, using a RITM200 reactor commissioned to build it by 2026.

Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said: "Rosatom has confirmed its undisputed global leadership in nuclear energy by signing the first-ever export contract for the construction of a small nuclear power plant. This is not just a preliminary agreement; we are starting construction this summer."

The company noted that estimates of future energy demand in Norway vary from 50 TWh to 233 TWh.

The construction of a ASMM in the far north Ust-Kuyga settlement will contribute to the development of infrastructure and the creation of new jobs in Yakutia, as well as providing a stable energy supply for the development of the region’s natural resources, which will make it even more attractive for investment and development.

Polish industrial group Industria has signed a letter of intent with UK-based zero emissions energy and technology developer Chiltern Vital Group to collaborate on the deployment of Rolls-Royce small modular reactors in Poland.

"Compared to the larger, conventional nuclear power plants, SMRs have several advantages — such as shorter construction time schedules, enhanced safety features and a sounder appeal to private investors thanks to their lower initial costs and shorter development timelines," the commission added.

The small modular reactor (SMR) is a water-cooled RITM-200N 55 MW reactor that has been adapted from the RITM-200 series used to power Russia's latest fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers. It will be built near Ust-Kuyga in Yakutia (also known as Sakha) in Russia's Arctic north, with the aim of commissioning in 2028.

The European Commission set up a European SMR pre-Partnership in June last year with the overall objective of identifying enabling conditions and constraints,

In June 2022, SaskPower selected the BWRX-300 as the technology to be used in its SMR development work for potential deployment in the mid-2030s after considering several SMR technologies. The company said it had identified two areas in the province of Saskatchewan – Estevan and Elbow as possible sites.