Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said nuclear energy is a reality the country cannot ignore and Athen is setting up an interministerial group to study the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs).

Mitsotakis said more and more countries are turning to the solution of SMRs for generating electricity and “we must, if nothing else, study it so that we have all the data at our disposal before reaching any decision”.

He added that the goal of the interministerial group is to conduct scientific research and define a framework so that Greece “does not lag behind” the developments on the international level.

Unconfirmed reports in Greece said Athens might also participate in an investment round for the French state power company EDF’s Nuward SMR project.