BRATISLAVA (dpa-AFX) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a number of deals towards building nuclear power plants in Central Europe using cutting-edge U.S. nuclear energy technologies, advancing the United States and the Central European countries' mutual security interests in the region.
These announcements pave the way for improving the region's energy security, grow industrial strength, and meet emerging tech competitiveness goals, like powering and harnessing AI, the U.S. State Department said in a press release.
Secretary Rubio signed the deals during his two-day visit of Slovakia and Hungary.
The U.S.-Slovakia Intergovernmental agreement was signed in Slovakian capital Bratislava on Monday. The implementation of the deal will begin with U.S. funding to jumpstart the vitally important preconstruction phase - Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study - for a new Westinghouse large reactor build. The FEED work will be carried out under the Department of State's Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program, which helps countries build safe, secure, responsible nuclear energy programs.
In Budapest, Rubio signed the U.S.-Hungary Civil Nuclear Intergovernmental Agreement with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjárto. The deal will deliver decades of cooperation in nuclear energy, and underscores U.S. commitment to making Hungary a hub for regional small modular reactor development. Under the agreement, U.S. firm Holtec International will help Hungary handle spent nuclear fuel storage - a dry cask storage system that boasts maximum security, safety, and flexibility - subject to parliamentary approval.
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