Sec. 2. Findings

428 words·~2 min read·/bill/119/hr/1474/rh/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds the following: Nuclear power is an emissions-free energy source that produces approximately 30 percent of the world’s low-carbon electricity. In 2021, 33 countries operated nuclear power plants. The People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation have sought to export nuclear reactors to Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, Africa, and South Asia. According to a 2017 study by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, Chinese and Russian nuclear reactors are associated with higher safety risk than Western nuclear reactors.

In addition, financial and operational support for nuclear power can extend over decades, allowing Beijing and Moscow to secure long-term influence in both advanced and developing economies. The Russian Federation is currently building 21 reactors outside its borders, while the People’s Republic of China is assembling more than a third of reactors under construction globally. According to research published in Nature Energy in February 2023, when the Russian Federation launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian state-owned nuclear operator Rosatom boasted as many as 73 different projects in 29 countries.

The projects were at very different stages of development from power plants in operation; through construction of reactors ongoing, contracted, ordered or planned; to involvement in tenders, invitations to partnerships or officially published proposals. On top of that, Russian companies have bilateral agreements or memoranda of understanding

(MoUs)with 13 countries for services or general joint development of nuclear energy. . In its report, International Status and Prospects for Nuclear Power 2021 , the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote, A total of 28 countries have expressed interest in nuclear power and are considering, planning or actively working to include it into their energy mix. Another 24 Member States participate in the Agency’s nuclear infrastructure related activities or are involved in energy planning projects through the technical cooperation programme. Ten to twelve embarking Member States plan to operate NPPs [nuclear power plants] by 2030–2035, representing a potential increase of nearly 30% in the number of operating countries. Several embarking countries have also expressed interest in SMRs [small modular reactors] technology, in particular Estonia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Sudan, as well as expanding countries such as South Africa. . On December 2, 2023, the United States, alongside more than 20 other countries, pledged to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 and support the financing of nuclear energy through the World Bank and regional development banks, so as to encourage the inclusion of nuclear energy in their organizations’ energy lending policies as needed, and to actively support nuclear power when they have such a mandate .