"Those countries that opt to use nuclear energy or support its use recognise its potential as a clean energy source that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels, to address the climate crisis and improve global energy security," a ministerial communiqué released at the end of the event said.

In addition to creating a working group to support plans to design, construct and commission the new units at Kozloduy, the two countries will also "explore collaboration on research and training programmes and developing Bulgaria's nuclear supply chain resilience".

Kudankulam, about 100 kilometres from the port city of Tuticorin in the state of Tamil Nadu at the southern tip of India, is already home to two operating Russian-VVER 1000 pressurised water reactors: Kudankulam 1 has been in commercial operation since 2014 and Kudankulam 2 since 2017.

By leveraging digital modeling technology, utilities can anticipate challenges, optimize performance, and seamlessly integrate renewable energy sources into the grid.

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

India is already exploring coal gasification, for which it is setting aside 85 billion rupees ($1 billion) in subsidies to help get projects off the ground. The early-stage technology, which turns coal into gas to generate electricity, results in marginally lower emissions compared to conventional coal firing.

India recorded a peak electricity demand of 243 gigawatts last year, exceeding the power ministry’s projections of 229 gigawatts and prompting the ministry to push for more coal power. Maximum demand is expected to jump to 366 gigawatts by 2032.

While global growth in electricity demand eased slightly to 2.2% in 2023 due to falling electricity consumption in advanced economies, it is projected to accelerate to an average of 3.4% from 2024 through to 2026.

The survey found that, across the 20 countries surveyed, 28% of respondents oppose the use of nuclear energy while 46% support it. Of the 20 countries surveyed, 17 have net support for nuclear energy's use. Support was found to be more than three times higher than opposition in the world's two most populated countries, China and India.

Betavolt, which was established in April 2021, says its battery "combines nickel-63 nuclear isotope decay technology and China's first diamond semiconductor (4th generation semiconductor) module to successfully realise the miniaturisation of atomic energy batteries".