U.S. Pushes Civil Nuclear Agenda at UN General Assembly

On the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States announced a series of civil nuclear initiatives, including an implementation plan for small modular reactor deployments and a major international industry consortium targeting European markets. The announcements build on a trilateral framework with Japan and South Korea signed earlier this year.

26 September 2026

On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Washington announced two significant steps to advance the international deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), signaling the growing role of civil nuclear power in U.S. energy and security strategy.

The first announcement concerns the establishment of an Implementation Plan in support of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on SMR deployments in third countries. The MOC was signed by the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea in Ankara on July 7 of this year, following a Trilateral Ministerial meeting between the three countries. According to Washington, the MOC and Implementation Plan are intended to set out an ambitious agenda for SMR fleet deployment in response to growing global energy demands, serving the mutual security interests of the three nations.

The second initiative involves an industry-level consortium. Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau attended and welcomed the signing of a framework agreement between GE-Vernova (United States), Hitachi (Japan), Samsung C&T (South Korea), and SGE (Poland) to advance deployment of the BWRX-300 SMR across Europe. The consortium aims to deliver reliable baseload nuclear power to millions of people across Europe and is projected to promote over $150 billion in reactor investments in the coming years.

Washington described the four-country industry grouping as leveraging complementary industrial strengths to accelerate reactor deployment in line with the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation. The initiative is framed as consistent with the broader objectives of the trilateral MOC that Secretary Rubio signed with his Japanese and Korean counterparts earlier this year.

This article is based on a verified primary source. The text was editorially reviewed and fact-checked prior to publication.

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