An alliance of EU countries has signed an agreement with US giant Westinghouse on small modular nuclear reactors as momentum for the sector builds.

Leaders from Italy, Belgium and Romania signed a deal to build lead-cooled reactors at a site in Belgium.

The project would help advance the sector in Europe dramatically, as nuclear becomes the key to a carbon-free future. 

Meanwhile, a larger alliance of nations signed on to ensure the EU governance included nuclear power for years to come.

Various EU nations signed an agreement to ensure small modular reactors as a solution for eliminating fossil fuels from electricity production in the 2030s and boosting the EU’s nuclear power capacity to 150 GW by 2050 from the current 100 GW.

Support from the European Commission is necessary for SMR projects to benefit from the existing and future European legislation, the 12 governments stressed. Their representatives are set to meet at the sidelines of the two-day European Nuclear Energy Forum in Bratislava, which begins today.

In a joint letter, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden called for investment incentives for small modular reactors (SMRs).