Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing strategic civil nuclear cooperation between the United States and Paraguay on Aug. 4, advancing Washington’s push to compete with Chinese and Russian nuclear energy offers in developing markets.
The MOU gives Paraguay access to U.S. nuclear technology, expertise, and potentially fuel supplies for peaceful civilian energy purposes, according to the State Department.
Civil nuclear cooperation agreements serve dual strategic purposes: advancing U.S. commercial nuclear industry interests and ensuring that countries developing nuclear energy programs operate under American non-proliferation safeguards and oversight, the department said.
The signing reflects the administration’s growing deployment of civilian nuclear partnerships as a geopolitical tool to deepen ties with regional allies in Latin America. Chinese and Russian state nuclear companies have aggressively marketed their services to energy-hungry developing nations in recent years.
Paraguay, a South American nation with significant hydroelectric resources, has been evaluating nuclear energy as a means of diversifying its power generation capacity and supporting economic growth, according to the State Department.
U.S. nuclear industry groups have supported the administration’s nuclear diplomacy push, arguing that American companies can provide safer and more reliable nuclear technology than competitors from Russia and China, with stronger non-proliferation protections.
The agreement is part of a broader pattern of U.S. nuclear cooperation MOUs signed with countries across Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia as the administration seeks to expand the market for American nuclear technology and counter adversary influence in the global energy sector.