Nuclear Energy in Focus at a Danube Institute Event

On 17 March 2026, the Danube Institute in Budapest hosted the event “Powering the Future: Nuclear Innovation and Small Modular Reactors in Central Europe,” dedicated to the role of nuclear energy and small modular reactors (SMRs) in strengthening Central Europe’s energy security. The event was directly linked to the intergovernmental agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation signed between the United States and Hungary in February 2026, which the American side presents as a step toward developing nuclear projects based on U.S. technologies and enhancing regional energy resilience.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Danube Institute’s International Director, Dr Kristóf Veress, who emphasized the connection between energy independence and national security. He stressed that following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the issue of Europe’s energy autonomy ceased to be merely an economic matter and became a strategic one. In his view, Europe’s limited domestic resource base further increases the importance of nuclear generation as a stable source of baseload power.

In her address, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the United States in Budapest Caroline Savage underlined that Washington sees SMR technologies as one of the key directions of the modern energy transition. In her assessment, the potential of small modular reactors extends beyond electricity generation and also includes supplying energy-intensive digital sectors, including artificial intelligence infrastructure, as well as industrial heat applications. It is precisely this multifunctionality that explains the growing interest in SMRs in Central Europe.

The key part of the event was a panel discussion featuring Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission David A. Wright and Csaba Gondiola, State Secretary for Circular Economy and Climate Policy at Hungary’s Ministry of Energy. During the discussion, David Wright emphasized that nuclear energy retains particular value because of its ability to provide continuous power generation, unlike weather-dependent renewable sources. He also stressed that, for the U.S. regulator, safety remains the fundamental principle guiding the development of the nuclear sector, while international cooperation among regulators should accelerate the adaptation of new technologies.

Csaba Gondiola described the past several years as a period of “nuclear renaissance” and stressed Europe’s need for affordable and reliable electricity. He noted that Hungary consistently supports the development of nuclear energy while at the same time recognizing the political significance of the EU’s renewable energy objectives. As for SMRs, the Hungarian side has adopted a pragmatic position: the technology is regarded as promising, but its broad commercial deployment in Europe is unlikely before 2030, while the regulatory framework remains at an early stage of development.

IDR Commentary

The event in Budapest is significant not only for Hungary or the United States, but for the whole of Central and Eastern Europe, as it demonstrates a shift in the energy debate from the narrow opposition of “nuclear versus renewables” toward a more comprehensive model of energy resilience. In conditions of geopolitical instability, wartime risks, and growing demand for uninterrupted electricity supply for the digital economy, the combination of baseload nuclear generation, grid modernization, energy storage, and renewable sources is increasingly viewed as a realistic architecture of energy security. This approach is consistent both with the logic of the recent U.S.–Hungary agreements and with Hungary’s long-term plans to expand its nuclear segment.

For the Danube region, this is particularly important for three reasons. First, energy security is becoming increasingly intertwined with logistics, industrial, and defence resilience. Second, SMRs potentially open new opportunities for decentralized energy supply to industrial hubs, transport corridors, and major infrastructure facilities. Third, the very fact that nuclear issues are being actively advanced in Central Europe means that in the coming years competition will intensify not only between technologies, but also between regulatory models, investment platforms, and formats of strategic partnership.

According to Vitalii Barvinenko, Director of the Institute of Danube Research, this discussion has distinct practical value for Ukraine. After 2022, the issue of energy resilience became an element of national security in the literal sense.

“I am convinced that the experience of Central European countries in diversifying their nuclear portfolio, preparing a regulatory environment for SMRs, and combining nuclear generation with new industrial needs deserves close attention.

At the same time, it is fundamentally important for Ukraine that any ‘nuclear renaissance’ in the region be accompanied not only by political declarations, but also by high standards of safety, transparency, international oversight, and a realistic economic model of implementation,” Vitalii Barvinenko noted.