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General Market Commentary
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General Energy
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General Market Commentary
Trump to Meet With Nuclear Developers Looking Globally, Sources Say
Nuclear-power developers are scheduled to meet with Donald Trump on Tuesday as they seek to build more atomic power plants worldwide, according to people familiar with the planned discussion.
The White House meeting is set to include Trump and representatives from a range of nuclear developers, including NuScale Power LLC, TerraPower LLC, Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC and General Electric Co., as well as Exelon Corp., the largest U.S. operator of nuclear plants. It was initiated by consulting firm IP3 International, according to two people familiar with the session, who asked for anonymity to discuss a private meeting.
The push comes as developers are working to get U.S. government approval of next-generation advanced and small modular nuclear reactors -- and sell them to the world. And the meeting is taking place as the Trump administration looks for ways to boost the existing U.S. fleet of nuclear reactors amid a wave of early closures.
Industry advocates argue that U.S. national security is jeopardized if the country cedes its role as a chief developer of civilian nuclear power plants. As the domestic nuclear fleet ages -- and the prospects for building a new wave of plants diminish -- exporting U.S. nuclear technology globally is a way to continue to ensure a robust and thriving U.S. brain trust.
Meeting participants are looking for Trump to highlight the role U.S. nuclear developers can play in electrifying other countries, just as the president touts U.S. exports of natural gas, according to people familiar with the session.
One possibility: A directive laying out U.S. nuclear power development as a chief national security goal.