US, South Korea Finalize Agreement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation

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US, South Korea Finalize Agreement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation

Seoul and Washington on Wednesday finalized an agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation and principles concerning nuclear exports. The Memorandum of Understanding on Principles Concerning Nuclear Exports and Cooperation “reflects the two countries’ mutual dedication to maximizing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy under the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and nonproliferation”, […]

Seoul and Washington on Wednesday finalized an agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation and principles concerning nuclear exports.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Principles Concerning Nuclear Exports and Cooperation “reflects the two countries’ mutual dedication to maximizing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy under the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, safeguards, and nonproliferation”, a joint statement said.

The pact builds on over 70 years of cooperation in nuclear power between the allies and will bolster each country’s export controls on civil nuclear technology, according to the statement published online by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).

“It will also provide a pathway to help both countries keep up with the emergence of new technologies in this sector”, the statement added.

The U.S. is also building civil nuclear cooperation with Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

In April 2024 the US DOE and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology agreed to cooperate on research and the development of the supply chain for the societal deployment of fusion energy. The seal emanates from a 2013 agreement between Japan and the U.S. for research and development in science and technology (STA).

The partnership will “address the scientific and technical challenges of delivering commercially viable fusion energy for various fusion systems, through activities conducted pursuant to the STA”, said a joint statement April 10, 2024.

In March 2024 at a meeting of the US-EU Energy Council, Washington and Brussels agreed to explore cooperation to curb the globe’s reliance on Russia in the nuclear energy supply chain.

“The United States and the EU intend to intensify cooperation to reduce dependency on Russia for nuclear materials and fuel cycle services, and support ongoing efforts by affected EU Member States to diversify nuclear supplies, as appropriate”, said a joint statement March 15, 2024. “The Council expressed support for multilateral efforts to identify alternative nuclear energy-related suppliers across the global nuclear supply chain for relevant countries”.

On November 8, 2023, the energy departments of the UK and the U.S. announced a cooperation agreement to accelerate the commercial deployment of fusion energy through research and development projects, supply chain development, regulatory framework harmonization and skills development.

Like the U.S., the UK aims to have commercial-scale fusion power plants in the 2030s, as outlined in the UK’s “Fusion Strategy”.

The U.S., the UK and Japan, as well as Canada and France, are parties to the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy, agreed by over 20 governments at COP28.

Aiming for the societal deployment of advanced reactors, the declaration plans to “invite shareholders of the World Bank, international financial institutions, and regional development banks to encourage the inclusion of nuclear energy in their organizations’ energy lending policies”, as stated in the official text published by the US DOE December 2, 2023.

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