The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has approved bipartisan legislation that aims to revitalise the country’s nuclear industry, just two weeks after it was introduced.

The legislation, the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020, was introduced on 17 November by the Republican John Barrasso and three Democrats, Sheldon Whitehouse , Mike Crapo and Cory Booker.

The legislation has now been placed on the Senate legislative calendar. However, it is unclear whether the Senate will act on it this year.

Mr Barrasso said that in the face of Russian and Chinese “aggression”, it is critical that the US remains the world’s leading developer of nuclear energy technology.