Energy security and climate concerns mean there is an urgency for the US and its allies to usher in a new wave of nuclear power plant construction and to lead in the competition to build and demonstrate the viability of these new nuclear technologies, an article published by the Atlantic Council think-tank said.

Robert Ichord, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Centre, wrote that because of growing tensions and confrontation among the major powers the race is on to commercialise the new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs) and micro nuclear reactors (MNRs) for civilian and military use.

He said that because of growing tensions and confrontation among the major powers the race is on to commercialise the new generation of small modular reactors (SMRs) and micro nuclear reactors (MNRs) for civilian and military use.