This weekend we are celebrating World Environment Day by exploring how big the risks posed by climate change are and how we might best mitigate these risks.
Please share the questions you have for two esteemed researchers in this field, Johannes Ackva and John Halstead.
Many US-based advanced nuclear companies aim for first commercial plants by end of this decade, here's an overview over timelines:
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/why-advanced-nuclear-reactors-may-be-here-sooner-than-many-imagine
I am not particularly optimistic about nuclear in much of Western Europe (with the possible exception of UK, Netherlands and France) because of the strong anti-nuclear sentiments you mention.
But a more serious climate conversation (how to actually reach targets) could also lead to changes here. That said, my main theory of change for advanced nuclear is advanced nuclear innovation in a couple of key jurisdictions (US, maybe UK & Canada, Korea, China, Russia) and then global adoption, particularly in emerging economies where emissions are raising and the costs of air pollution are felt very acutely.
Europe is fairly optional in this story (though, of course, things get easier when Europe is less anti-nuclear).