The Partnership for Global Security’s President, Ken Luongo, joined the Global American Business Institute’s (GABI) recent podcast on global nuclear market trends. Mr. Luongo notes that in response to Russia’s rise as a prominent nuclear technology exporter and its invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies are making strides to rejuvenate their domestic nuclear and export opportunities as well as limit dependence on Russian fuel. He embraces the commitment to the threefold nuclear capacity increase pledge by 2050 as laid at the COP28 summit but expresses skepticism that the world will meet this goal without dramatic changes in nuclear deployment processes. Mr. Luongo discusses how China has accelerated its domestic nuclear deployment and could become a more active nuclear exporter and the geopolitical challenges that this development would pose. Mr. Luongo adds that the United States and its allies are not adequately prepared to compete with Russia and China on small reactor technology exports to developing nations, despite the significant American financial investment in next-generation reactors. Additionally, he discusses the need for the United States to strengthen nuclear energy and export cooperation with its closest allies.
