Finland’s government can do more to facilitate development and construction of the next generation of nuclear technology by adopting joint assessments with other countries, said Petteri Tiippana, director-general of the country’s regulator, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Stuk).

In an article published by the Finnish Nuclear Society, Tippana praised Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo’s government for its commitment to nuclear energy as a basis for economic growth.

Tiippana said the government has demonstrated its strong support for the nuclear sector by streamlining its approval process and adhering to guidelines set out in Finland’s Nuclear Energy Act, which aims to facilitate the construction of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). The government has hinted at plans to reexamine the time-consuming process of issuing decisions-in-principle for SMRs.