Europe's Small Modular Reactor Moment: A Four-Nation BWRX-300 Pact and Italy's Vote to Return to Nuclear

On Sept. 23, GE Vernova, Hitachi, Samsung C&T, and Poland's SGE signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue deployment of the 300-megawatt BWRX-300 small modular reactor across Europe, an effort the U.S. State Department says aims to promote more than $150 billion in reactor investment. The same week, Italy's Senate passed a bill reopening the path to nuclear power, though the law sets up a framework rather than approving any specific plant.

The BWRX-300 Deal

The memorandum of understanding, or MOU, a formal statement of intent to cooperate rather than a binding contract, was signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the Atlantic Council Nuclear Energy Policy Summit, World Nuclear News reported. The four signatories will establish "a framework for cooperation on market development and commercial opportunities" for the BWRX-300.

Each partner brings a different piece:

• GE Vernova (U.S.) and Hitachi (Japan) jointly own GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, the reactor's designer.
• Samsung C&T (South Korea) has extensive experience building major nuclear and energy infrastructure.
• SGE (Poland) is already developing projects for a fleet of BWRX-300 reactors in Europe, notably in Poland and the UK.

The U.S. State Department said Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau attended the signing. It said the consortium "aims to deliver reliable baseload nuclear power to millions of people across Europe and promote over $150 billion in reactor investments in the coming years." Baseload power is electricity that runs around the clock, regardless of weather or time of day.

The State Department tied the industry deal to a broader government agreement. The same day, it announced an Implementation Plan for a U.S.-Japan-South Korea Memorandum of Cooperation on deploying SMRs in other countries, which the three governments signed in Ankara on July 7.

"Europe and the UK need a scalable commercial model for new nuclear, built on proven technology, established supply chains and world-class delivery partners," said Michał Sołowow, SGE's founder.

What Is a BWRX-300?

A small modular reactor, or SMR, is a nuclear reactor designed to be smaller than a traditional plant and built from standardized components, with the aim of cutting construction time and cost. The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe design, meaning it produces 300 megawatts of electricity, according to World Nuclear News.

It is a water-cooled boiling water reactor that uses natural circulation, meaning water moves through the core without large pumps, and it relies on passive safety systems that work without operator action or external power. The design builds on GE Vernova Hitachi's ESBWR reactor, which is certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and on its existing licensed fuel design.

Crucially, it is not just a paper design. The first BWRX-300 is under construction at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade.

Poland and the UK Lead the Pipeline

SGE's projects give the consortium a head start. In Poland, a decision in principle, an early-stage government approval rather than a permit to build, has been issued for 26 BWRX-300 units, World Nuclear News reported. In the UK, a proposal for a fleet of 14 BWRX-300s across three sites is being considered under the government's Advanced Nuclear Framework program.

Those numbers are pipelines, not construction starts. Each project will still need regulatory approvals, financing, and sites.

Italy Votes to Reopen the Door

Italy's Senate passed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's bill paving the way for a return to nuclear power by 81 votes to 51, with seven abstentions, World Nuclear News reported on Sept. 24. The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, approved it in June by 155 to 86, with eight abstentions.

The law is a delegation bill: it gives the government the mandate to write the detailed rules for reintroducing what it calls "sustainable" nuclear power. That mandate includes developing a National Programme for Sustainable Nuclear Power, creating an independent Nuclear Safety Authority, strengthening research, building skills, and running public information campaigns. The vote by itself does not authorize construction of any reactor.

"Nuclear power is not a return to the past," said Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy's Minister of the Environment and Energy Security. He described it as a technology that, "when integrated with renewables, can deliver extraordinary results for our energy security, toward neutrality by 2050."

The history makes the vote notable. Italy decided to phase out nuclear power in a referendum after the 1986 Chernobyl accident and closed its last two plants in 1990. After Fukushima in 2011, 94% of voters in a June referendum rejected building new reactors.

Industry is already positioning. France's Nuward and its parent EDF, together with Edison and Italian partners Ansaldo and Maire, have stated an ambition to deploy a first SMR in Italy by 2035. Nuward separately says it aims for a fleet of 10 SMRs across five EU countries, with initial construction beginning in 2030. Newcleo, a France-headquartered developer of lead-cooled reactors, also has significant operations in Italy.

The Bigger Picture

Two things are happening at once. Europe's nuclear build-out is becoming a multinational supply-chain project, with the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Poland pooling design, manufacturing, and construction strengths around a single standardized reactor. And countries that turned away from nuclear, like Italy, are rebuilding the legal foundations needed to buy in.

The key test for both is execution. The Darlington unit in Canada will be the first real-world proof of the BWRX-300's cost and schedule, and Italy's detailed rules and new safety authority still have to be written.

"Nuclear power is not a return to the past," said Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy's Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, describing it as a technology that, "when integrated with renewables, can deliver extraordinary results for our energy security, toward neutrality by 2050."

Why It Matters

• SMRs are moving toward fleets. A four-nation consortium built around one design signals an effort to standardize, which is how SMR advocates hope to bring costs down.
• Big money is on the table. The State Department frames the deal as promoting more than $150 billion in reactor investment, though an MOU is not a contract.
• Italy's return is legal, not physical, for now. The law creates a framework and a safety authority; no plant is approved yet, and industry targets point to 2035 at the earliest.
• Darlington is the bellwether. The first BWRX-300's delivery will shape how quickly European projects follow.