Ankara: A recent small modular reactors (SMR) partnership framework agreement signed by the United States, South Korea, and Japan underscores the "tight strategic" cooperation among the three nations in the realm of energy security, according to the top U.S. envoy to ASEAN.

According to Yonhap News Agency, U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Kevin Kim highlighted the significance of the trilateral agreement on SMRs, which was signed by the top diplomats of the three countries during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Ankara, Turkey. The memorandum of cooperation aims to harness collective efforts to penetrate the SMR market in the Indo-Pacific region, as energy demand surges and geopolitical competition with countries like China and Russia intensifies.

"This is a growing industry in the United States," Kim remarked during an online press briefing with Asian media outlets. He emphasized the critical role that SMRs will play in future energy supply, noting the agreement as a priority for the administration. 'The recent MOU that was signed between the three countries continues to illustrate the tight strategic cooperation that exists among the three countries,' he added.

While Kim refrained from detailing the short-term implementation of this cooperation framework, he assured that in-depth discussions are ongoing regarding the next steps. He acknowledged that the substance of these discussions remains sensitive as governments continue to exchange their views.

The cooperation framework, which primarily targets the Indo-Pacific market, has sparked speculation that ASEAN countries might become joint partners to advance this initiative. A Seoul official mentioned that the SMR cooperation would focus on enabling the commercial nuclear industries of the three nations to establish a foothold in the Indo-Pacific region, with Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines being considered as potential partners.

SMRs are gaining momentum as the U.S. and allied nations seek reliable, carbon-free power solutions to meet increasing grid demands driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers. The technology offers a more flexible and potentially less costly alternative to traditional large-scale nuclear power plants. South Korea is noted for its nuclear power plant construction capabilities, the U.S. for its proprietary reactor design technologies, and Japan for its strengths in manufacturing key nuclear power plant components.