BRUSSELS — The latest global atomic race is pitting two nuclear powerhouses against each other: France and the United States.
The European Union this week unveiled a new industrial alliance to kick-start the manufacturing of so-called small nuclear reactors — a product that barely exists but that proponents insist could revolutionize nuclear power.
For Europe, the idea is simple: Join forces to beat competitors such as China and Russia in the race to develop these bite-size siblings of conventional atomic plants. The hope is that the miniature reactors could eventually be made on an automobile-style conveyor belt at a fraction of the cost and time that have historically burdened nuclear plants.
But for France, there’s a major problem with Europe’s plan: America’s involved.
