Calls made for ‘long-term policy frameworks’ for reactor new-build
Nuclear industry leaders have urged governments to take immediate action to strengthen energy security and accelerate investment in nuclear power, warning that global demand for clean, reliable, and affordable electricity continues to rise.
The call was made at the Roadmaps to New Nuclear conference in Paris, organised by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the government of South Korea.
Several industry associations*, including Brussels-based Nucleareruope, US-based Nuclear Energy Institute, and London-based World Nuclear Association, said investment support is needed across the full spectrum of nuclear technologies, from large-scale new build to small modular reactors (SMRs), microreactors, power uprates, and the lifetime extension of existing reactors.
In a joint industry declaration, participants stressed the importance of ensuring the long-term operation of existing nuclear plants wherever technically feasible, arguing that life extension remains the most cost-effective means of maintaining reliable baseload capacity.
They called for long-term policy frameworks to facilitate new nuclear construction and investment across the nuclear value chain, including fuel cycle facilities, and for decisive action to secure supplies of uranium, conversion, and enrichment services as OECD countries phase out reliance on Russian fuel.
The industry organisations also underlined the need for governments to apply technology neutrality across clean energy sources, to ensure nuclear energy is treated on an equal footing with renewables in climate and financing policies.
The statement welcomed the World Bank’s openness to nuclear energy projects and urged national and multinational institutions to enable public financing, which in turn would help mobilise private capital.
The statement also said stronger international cooperation among regulators will be critical to achieving greater design standardisation, which would reduce costs and speed up fleet deployment.
The industry groups pointed to the importance of building a resilient and collaborative supply chain to ensure the timely delivery of new nuclear projects in OECD countries and beyond.
This year’s conference marks the third edition of the Roadmaps to New Nuclear initiative for dialogue between governments and industry.
Previous meetings in 2023 and 2024 saw industry representatives issue similar calls for regulatory harmonisation, supply chain resilience, and financing reform to unlock investment.
*The declaration was signed by representatives of: the Canadian Nuclear Association, the Electric Power Research Institute, Groupement des industriels français de l’énergie nucléaire (Gifen), the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum, the UK Nuclear Industry Association, the Nuclear Energy Institute, the World Nuclear Association, and Nucleareurope
