Rising electricity demand driven by electrification, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and industrial growth is placing renewed emphasis on the need for firm and secure baseload power generation. At the same time, the nuclear sector faces challenges related to project delivery, financing, regulatory capacity and workforce availability. This plenary session will examine the policy market and institutional conditions required to enable the deployment of new nuclear at scale. Ministers and Chief Executive Officers will discuss pathways and enabling conditions to accelerate new nuclear construction projects.

Major industrial revolutions are often driven by a symbiotic relationship between energy and technology, in which a dominant power source and a breakthrough technology evolve together, each enabling and accelerating the development of the other. Nuclear-powered artificial intelligence and AI-enhanced nuclear energy systems are poised to evolve in a mutually reinforcing dynamic, positioning them at the forefront of an emerging industrial revolution capable of addressing the scale of the world’s energy challenges. As artificial intelligence drives unprecedented growth in computing demand, nuclear energy is emerging as a critical enabler. In parallel, artificial intelligence promises to accelerate licencing, facilitate construction and improve operations of nuclear power plants. This session will discuss the symbiosis of AI and nuclear and assess deployment scenarios over the next 5-10 years.

This fireside chat will examine the growing recognition that current regulatory frameworks must evolve to remain effective, proportionate and innovation enabling, while continuing to uphold safety and public trust. More than seventy years ago, early pioneers of civil nuclear energy were able to design and construct experimental reactors such as the Experimental Breeder Reactor I (EBR-I) on government sites in the United States. Since then, reactor technologies, fuels, digital modelling and operational experience have significantly progressed. Yet regulatory processes in many jurisdictions have grown longer, more complex and less predictable, particularly for advanced and small modular reactors (SMRs). Against this backdrop, regulatory approaches need to modernise design certification and construction oversight. This includes opportunities to streamline regulatory frameworks internationally.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) have the potential to reshape the future of nuclear energy. The NEA Small Modular Reactor Dashboard currently tracks progress on 127 SMR designs worldwide. Many of these projects are in pre-licensing or licensing discussion, and a growing number are moving toward construction, reflecting rising interest from both governments and industry. SMRs promise enhanced safety through passive systems, as well as lower costs and shorter construction timelines enabled by factory-based modular manufacturing. They can also serve remote grids and provide industrial heat as well as electricity. However, significant challenges remain. These include developing reliable supply chains for new reactor designs, managing the financial risks of first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects, sustaining a skilled workforce, and adapting regulatory frameworks to accommodate advanced designs, materials and innovative fuels. This plenary session will provide an opportunity to assess progress across the sector and discuss innovative financing models to support deployment.

The world of nuclear financing is changing quickly; new players are entering the market, from the tech sector to private equity and venture capital. These changes have led governments and the private sector to explore innovative financing structures and unlock new sources of capital. Governments can play a decisive role in enabling private sector lenders to finance nuclear power projects, particularly given the high upfront capital costs, long construction timelines, and policy sensitivity inherent to reactor construction. Support typically focuses on reducing specific risks that private lenders cannot readily absorb on their own. Mechanisms such as loan guarantees, Regulated Asset Base (RAB) models, Contracts for Difference (CfDs) and Power Purchase Agreements can help bring in private capital by mitigating project risks. Pension funds, insurers and private equity can then provide the stable, patient capital required to move projects toward final investment decisions. This session offers an opportunity to discuss the merits of these models, as well as the expectations of non-state investors in new nuclear.

Ensuring a reliable nuclear fuel supply chain is crucial for both maintaining current nuclear power capacity and supporting its expansion. The forthcoming NEA analysis on the security of nuclear fuel supply (the "Orange Book"), highlights the extent to which the supply of uranium, conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication provide both challenges and opportunities for like-minded countries. The orange book suggests that as global demand for nuclear energy rises, fuel supplies, some of which are currently vulnerable, must not only increase, but also adapt to minimise dependence on unreliable suppliers. Working collaboratively among like-minded countries to build a resilient and reliable supply is a requisite for the assurance of nuclear power and energy security. This session will provide an opportunity for leading nuclear fuel companies to showcase recent progress and to discuss the conditions for investments in the security of nuclear fuel supply.

- Senior official, United States -Announcement of the Co-chair of Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2027 with special remarks from the 2026 Chair - William D. Magwood, IV, Director-General, Nuclear Energy Agency

For the first time since the 1980s, many countries are developing new nuclear programmes. However, many recent nuclear construction projects in OECD countries have faced delays and cost overruns. Although these challenges can be partly explained by the difficulties inherent in deploying innovative first-of-a-kind designs, the fact remains that the workforce and supply chains may not yet be prepared to deal with substantial new build programmes. Construction risks impact timelines and costs, influencing the confidence of key stakeholders and undermining nuclear energy’s credibility as a solution to energy availability and affordability. It is therefore imperative to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the nuclear supply chain, and to formulate partnerships and policy to enable competitive and timely nuclear new build. This session will bring together executives from across the nuclear supply chain to assess which risks remain, how to mitigate them, and the lessons from past successes that can help ensure new nuclear is delivered on-time and on-budget.

Today, 28 newcomer countries are advancing plans to install nuclear capacity in the next two decades, with more than two thirds being non-OECD countries, primarily from the Global South. Realising nuclear energy’s contribution to economic growth and prosperity for energy economies will require unlocking access to significant amounts of capital at competitive rates. Large, complex construction projects carry cost-overrun risks that may necessitate tools such as special tariff arrangements and loan guarantees by government agencies to lending institutions. Engagement from major multilateral development banks and international financing institutions will be critical to unlock trillions of dollars necessary to bring energy access to hundreds of millions of people and power these growing economies. This session will provide an opportunity to learn about the growing momentum of nuclear energy in the Global South from governments and developmental finance institutions.

Launched in 2024 as part of the NEA’s Plan 2035 initiative, the Young Professionals Delegation (YPD) was created to ensure that emerging leaders have a structured and substantive voice in these high-level discussions. The YPD brings together professionals under 30, nominated by companies within the nuclear industry, representing a broad cross-section of the nuclear value chain, including engineering, legal affairs, fuel cycle, policy and nuclear power plant operations. In addition to contributing to the conference discussions, the YPD benefits from a dedicated programme that introduces participants to cutting-edge technological developments and emerging nuclear applications. Activities have included technical site visits to companies pioneering advanced reactor technologies and engagement with new sectors where nuclear innovation is expanding. This special presentation of this year’s Young Professionals Delegation provides an opportunity for them to share their experiences thus far, in their careers and what they see as priorities for sector growth for leaders in government and the private sector.