Read more about a recent trip from NEI's own Stephanie Pronco, senior international trade specialist.
✈ Where was I? Stockholm, Sweden, and Helsinki, Finland, for a U.S. Commercial Nuclear Trade Mission arranged by NEI. The U.S. delegation was led by our President and CEO Maria Korsnick and included 16 delegates from industry, DOE, and the State Department.
✍ What was going on? Sweden and Finland have unveiled big plans for nuclear expansion, and there is ample opportunity for the U.S. nuclear supply chain to build on this momentum! This trade mission was an opportunity to meet with top government officials, customers, potential partners, and other stakeholders in these two priority markets to discuss potential commercial partnerships.
⚡Lightning round!
- Favorite meal: Swedish meatballs at Tre Valv—so much better than IKEA’s!
- Notable quote or highlight: In our meetings with Swedish and Finnish stakeholders, Acting Assistant Secretary of Energy Dr. Mike Goff made the point that “we’re not state-owned but we’re state-backed” when talking about U.S. government support for the nuclear energy industry at home. U.S. industry often finds itself in stiff competition with state-owned enterprises in the global nuclear energy market, so having U.S. government support on this trade mission was crucial in sending a strong message about Team USA and the value of a U.S. partnership.
- Something you learned: Finland will soon enter the operational phase of the ONKALO project—the world’s first geological final disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel. Onkalo, meaning “cave” in Finnish, is an underground repository that will take all the nuclear waste produced by Finland’s five operating nuclear reactors in their life cycles.
