Atomic power would need to account for 40% to 45% of electricity supply, from about 30% now, for Korea to zero out its emissions by mid-century,

The UK’s nuclear sector has launched its first sector-wide initiative to attract and recruit people over the next two decades into the civil and defence nuclear workforce.

A key focus of the partnership will be on hydrogen isotope management within the fusion fuel cycle, safely removing, processing, and reinjecting fuel to the plasma in a continuous manner.

"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.

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.

For nuclear power to live up to the current hype it is getting, it needs to fully address its perennial issues and problems, and so far it has not done so.

According to World Nuclear Association information, Russia produced 2508 tU in 2022, making it the sixth largest producer of uranium in the world, while Russian reactor requirements for 2023 were estimated at 6284 tU.

Nuclear advocates have pushed for SMRs for more than a decade, but so far Russia is the only country to put them into commercial use.

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.

Currently, about 15% of Britain's energy needs are met by nuclear power, a drop from 27% in the 1990s as older plants have been decommissioned and new ones are taking time to build.