Chair Lewis Highlights EXIM’s Historic Commitment to Financing Nuclear Energy Projects in Charlotte Keynote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27, 2023
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Charlotte, N.C. – Last week, Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis delivered a keynote address at the United States Nuclear Industry Council’s Advanced Reactor Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina. During the summit, Chair Lewis highlighted EXIM’s strong history of advancing support for nuclear energy projects and discussed how the agencies products can be a game changer for companies in the sector looking to export overseas. Chair Lewis and EXIM Board of Directors member and former Congressman Spencer Bachus also met with multiple companies involved in the nuclear energy sector during the summit, including Westinghouse and Honeywell.

“It was an honor to speak with leaders from across the nuclear energy sector about EXIM’s historic actions in this space and commitment to supporting U.S. nuclear energy exports,” said President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis. “We recognize the importance of nuclear energy in supporting the global energy transition, and EXIM financing can be a powerful tool in ensuring these critical projects get off the ground. We look forward to continuing to build upon our work in this sector.”

“I am extremely thankful that Chair Lewis brought her perspective on enabling U.S. advanced nuclear exports to this year’s Advanced Reactors Summit,” said Todd Abrajano, President and CEO of the U.S. Nuclear Industry Council. “As the advanced nuclear industry continues to grow internationally, our U.S. technology and service providers will benefit from the financing opportunities that EXIM brings to the table and that support will certainly help level the playing field for our companies as they compete across the globe against state-owned enterprises in China and Russia that are not required to comply with OECD guidelines.”

In April, EXIM issued a letter of interest indicating the agency’s willingness to consider up to $3 billion in financing for a potential project in Poland to deploy BWRX-300 small modular nuclear reactors designed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Last November at COP27, Chair Lewis, alongside Secretary Kerry, Romanian President Iohannis, and Minister of Energy Popescu, announced the issuance of a letter of interest totaling up to $3 billion dollars for U.S. exports that will be used at the Cernovoda Nuclear Project in Romania.

Last month, EXIM also issued another letter of interest to Fluor and NuScale totaling $3 billion for a potential small modular reactor project for RoPower in Romania. Letters of interest are nonbinding statements that indicate that EXIM is open for business in the market identified and is willing to consider financing for a given export transaction should an application be submitted. 

More information about EXIM financing for nuclear energy projects is available in this fact sheet.

Chair speaking to attendants

ABOUT EXIM:

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation’s official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. To advance American competitiveness and assist U.S. businesses as they compete for global sales, EXIM offers financing including export credit insuranceworking capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. As an independent federal agency, EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth by supporting tens of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of overall U.S. debt. Learn more at www.exim.gov.