WASHINGTON, October 29. /TASS/. The United States lost its leadership in commercial nuclear technology to Russia, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said at a conference hosted by the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"I think this is a challenge for America. It has traditionally been the leader, it lost this leadership but I heard the [US] secretary of energy say that we want to regain this leadership," Grossi pointed out.

"I see interesting decisions being taken to boost the domestic nuclear industry, which is of course indispensable internally because of the energy situation here but also internationally," the IAEA secretary general stressed. In this regard, Grossi highlighted "huge possibilities for the American civilian nuclear industry."

At the same time, he noted that the economic model of Russia’s Rosatom and China’s National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) was different. "The main vendor is Russian and the Chinese, CNNC, are very active and of course, they have a different financing model, which allows them to move more flexibly, including in international markets, so that is the challenge for American companies abroad," he noted.

"But we are seeing, for example, active and proactive initiatives from American companies in Eastern Europe," Grossi added, referring to Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, where he saw "American actors." "Before, you would not see them in the fray, in the competition, you would always see the French maybe, you would see the Koreans, you might see, of course, you would see Russians and you would see the Chinese but you would not see the Americans. And now you are seeing them," the IAEA chief specified.