Whilst they didn't mention any country by name, I reckon one of the first on the list is CANADA who are already starting to look at SMR technologies with the help of some of their Universities now, and the Canadian Government certainly seems to be well on board, same with their industries as well.
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While the Department of State did not identify any potential partner countries or funding criteria, it stated the program would engage government, industry, national laboratories and academic institutions."
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/a-spotlight-on-advanced-nuclear-after-5904964/
April 29, 2021
A Spotlight on Advanced Nuclear after the White House Climate Summit
Sachin Desai,
Stephanie Fishman,
Amy Roma
Hogan Lovells
On
April 22 and 23, President Biden
hosted forty world leaders virtually at the Leaders Summit on Climate (“Climate Summit”
to employ a “whole of government” approach in the fight against climate change. The world leaders announced a variety of commitments to include creating global partnerships, setting financial benchmarks, and transforming current energy supply schemes, as discussed in a recent Hogan Lovells
Client Alert.
Among the domestic and international
commitments, President Biden
pledged that the U.S. would cut its emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. This announcement dovetails into his larger promise to make the U.S. electricity sector carbon neutral by 2035 and the U.S. economy net zero by 2050. President Biden also assured that fighting climate change is an economic opportunity and coupled each proposed energy initiative with the confidence of good jobs.
These goals will be virtually impossible to achieve without the use of nuclear energy, a technology already proven to produce vast amounts of energy with zero emissions. With the nuclear ban lifted by the Development Finance Corporation for investment in innovation projects, the U.S. government acknowledged the importance of nuclear in the transition to clean energy in developing economies.
In supporting the U.S. “whole of government” approach to combat climate change, commitments made at the Climate Summit shined the spotlight on advanced nuclear technologies. For example, the Department of State
announced the launch of its Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program. Through an initial $5.3 million investment, this program will strengthen international collaboration between the U.S. and partner countries seeking to deploy nuclear energy in their clear energy initiatives. This cooperation includes supporting the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), in a manner consistent with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Milestones Approach for implementing a responsible nuclear power program.
While the Department of State did not identify any potential partner countries or funding criteria, it stated the program would engage government, industry, national laboratories and academic institutions.
Consistent across all initiatives announced at the Climate Summit, by both the U.S. government and international leaders, was the need to
address carbon pollution from industrial processes generally through the production of and reliance on renewable and nuclear energy.
https://www.state.gov/program-to-cr...ons-bold-plans-to-address-the-climate-crisis/
Consistent with the Administration’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis, the U.S. Department of State is launching the
Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program. Building on more than 60 years of U.S. innovation and expertise in nuclear energy, FIRST provides capacity-building support to partner countries as they develop their nuclear energy programs to support clean energy goals under the highest international standards for nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation. As an initial investment, the U.S. Department of State has committed $5.3 million to support FIRST projects. In the Leader’s Summit on Climate, the Biden-Harris administration highlighted the FIRST program as one of the United States’ key efforts to promote innovation in bringing clean technologies to scale and build unprecedented global cooperation to confront the climate crisis.
FIRST is a capacity-building program designed to deepen strategic ties, support energy innovation, and advance technical collaboration with partner nations on secure and safe nuclear energy infrastructure. Such cooperation includes supporting the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors (SMRs), in a manner consistent with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Milestones Approach for implementing a responsible nuclear power program. SMRs offer significant benefits, including lower costs, scalability, flexibility, and the ability to partner with other clean energy sources, such as wind and solar power. In addition to reliable electricity generation, SMRs can be used to desalinate water to support rising clean water needs, replace coal to power energy-intensive industrial processes, and produce hydrogen to help decarbonize transportation and other sectors. FIRST strengthens U.S. relationships with international partners, including through government, industry, national laboratory, and academic institution engagements.
Through efforts like FIRST, the United States is leading the way with a range of bold new commitments to address the climate crisis, spur innovation, conserve our environment, build resilience, and drive growth for communities in a safe and secure manner. The U.S. Department of State is proud that FIRST is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s approach to achieve these goals.
(20min delay)