Nuclear Energy Summit 2026 - Programme

14:30-16:00     Panel #1 - Regional developments and strategies: nuclear energy’s potential to address growing global clean energy demand

Keynote Speaker: Mr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency 

Moderator: HE Mr Jean-No?l Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs

Panellists:

HE Ms Dubravka ?edovi?, Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy

Mr Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Mr Gaspard Liyoko Mboyo, Chairperson of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE)

Mr Yanfeng Shen, Chairman of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC)

Mr Bernard Fontana, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of électricité de France (EDF) 

Mr Jacques Besnainou, Executive Advisor at Westinghouse Electric Company

Mr Gerben Dijksterhuis, President of the Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities (GMF) and Mayor of Borsele

The panel discussion will evolve around the following topics: 

• Regional approaches to nuclear energy in the global clean energy transition
• The strategic role of nuclear power in emerging economies facing rapid electricity demand growth
• The role of innovative nuclear technologies (e.g., SMRs, microreactors, next?gen fuel cycles) in developing regions
• Economic and policy incentives for shifting fossil?fuel?dependent regions toward nuclear power
• Global and regional alliances shaping nuclear technology access and supply chains
• Economic, policy, and market drivers behind regional shifts toward nuclear energy
• Cross?border nuclear cooperation models for enhancing clean energy security and grid stability

16:00-16:10     Break

16:10-17:10     Panel #2 - Financing nuclear energy projects: a key enabler for deployment at scale

Keynote Speaker: Mr Alex Fitzsimmons, Acting US Under Secretary of Energy

Moderator: HE Mr Roland Lescure, French Minister of Economics, Finance and Industrial, Energetic and Digital Sovereignty

Panellists:

Ms Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Ms Valerie Levkov, Vice-President for Infrastructure, World Bank Group

Mr Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB)

Mr Sébastien Dessillons, Head of Global Sectors at BNP Paribas CIB

Mr Patrick P. Prange, Head of Infrastructure Finance, Europe and Americas at HSBC

Mr Jamshid Ehsani, Partner, Head of Global Principal Structured Finance at Apollo and Chairman of ACRA Group of Insurance Companies

Mr Lassina Zerbo, Chairperson of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB)

The panel discussion will evolve around the following topics:

• Effective financing models for nuclear power: public, private, and hybrid approaches
• Private investors’ potential contribution to financing global nuclear energy deployment
• Financing advanced reactors and SMRs to enable scalable, flexible nuclear deployment
• Global cooperation and international support mechanisms for nuclear project financing
• Risk?reduction tools for investors: guarantees, PPAs, and shared?risk mechanisms
• Economic comparison of nuclear’s high upfront costs vs. long?term benefits
• National strategies for attracting private investment into nuclear energy
• Innovative financing instruments (green bonds, climate funds, PPPs) for advanced reactors and SMRs

17:10-17:25     Break

17:25-18:25     Panel #3 - New nuclear and the role of innovation for the nuclear technologies of the future

Keynote Speaker: Ms Anne-Isabelle Etienvre, Chairperson of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) 

Moderator: Ms Aline Des Cloizeaux, Director of the Division of Nuclear Power, Department of Nuclear Energy, IAEA

Panellists:

Mr Pietro Barabaschi, Director-General ITER Organization

Mr Hongzao LU, Deputy Director General at State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC)

Mr Masaru Hirata, Advisor to the President at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)

Mr Luca Mastrantonio, Chief Executive Officer at Nuclitalia

Mr Shitaleni C. Herman, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Board of Namibia

The panel discussion will evolve around the following topics: 

• Advances in reactor designs (SMR, GEN-IV) and their impact on safety, efficiency, and scalability
• Innovations in nuclear fuel cycles, including new innovative fuels and closed fuel cycles
• Potential of digitalization, AI, and automation in nuclear plant design and operations and future nuclear fusion plant
• Advanced manufacturing techniques (modular construction, 3D printing, new materials) for cost and timeline reduction
• Hybrid energy systems integrating nuclear with renewables, hydrogen production, and district heating
• Scientific and engineering opportunities and challenges in commercializing nuclear fusion energy
• Collaborative innovation models among governments, research institutions, and industry to ensure safe, trusted deployment of nuclear fission and fusion energy

Round table #1 & #3: Studio RiffX1 (floor -1)
Round table #2 & #4: Studio RiffX2 (floor -1)

To express interest in participating in the Round Table discussions, please send an email.

14:30-16:00     Round table #1 - One ambition for nuclear: Tripling Nuclear Energy

Moderator: Ms Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director-General of the World Nuclear Association

Co-moderator: Ms Maria Faury, Head of the Strategic Committee for the French Nuclear Industry (CSFN)

The round table discussion will evolve around the following topics:

• Policy frameworks and global agreements needed to support tripling nuclear capacity
• Balancing rapid nuclear expansion with safety, security, and regulatory oversight
• The contribution of advanced reactors and SMRs to large?scale nuclear growth
• Strengthening nuclear supply chains to meet expansion targets
• Financing mechanisms required to scale nuclear energy globally
• Public acceptance and communication strategies for large?scale nuclear deployment

14:30-16:00     Round table #2 - Ensuring nuclear fuel supply security at the global level

Moderator: Ms Olena Mykolaichuk, Director of the Division Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology, Department of Nuclear Energy, IAEA

The round table discussion will evolve around the following topics:

• Diversification of global nuclear fuel supply chains
• International coordination of fuel?cycle services and governance
• Fuel access strategies for newcomer countries
• Resilience against geopolitical risks in uranium mining and enrichment
• Advanced fuel technologies and their role in long?term supply security
• Investment and policy measures to expand uranium production and processing
• International cooperation and commercial partnerships for a stable global fuel market

16:10-17:10     Round table #3 - Safe, efficient and responsible spent fuel management as an essential condition of the nuclear renaissance: a variety of solutions from the closing of the nuclear fuel cycle to the deep geological repository of nuclear waste

Moderator: Ms Karine Herviou, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, IAEA

The round table discussion will evolve around the following topics:

• Evaluating open, partially closed, and fully closed nuclear fuel?cycle options
• Technological innovations for reducing waste volume and radiotoxicity
• Long?term safety and resilience of interim spent?fuel storage facilities
• Governance, regulation, and public engagement for deep geological repositories
• International cooperation to support countries with limited resources
• Multinational or regional approaches to spent?fuel services and repositories
• Integrating responsible waste management into the global nuclear renaissance

16:10-17:10     Round table #4 - Developing nuclear supply chains and skills as essential challenges for the efficient construction and safe exploitation of nuclear power plants

Moderator: Mr Wei Huang, Director of the Division of Planning, Information and Knowledge Management, Department of Nuclear Energy, IAEA

The round table discussion will evolve around the following topics:

• Strengthening and diversifying nuclear supply chains
• Developing a skilled workforce for nuclear construction and operation
• Expanding manufacturing capacity while maintaining quality standards
• International partnerships for building technical and industrial capabilities
• Adapting educational programs to meet nuclear sector workforce needs
• Aligning supply?chain growth with advanced reactor and SMR deployment
• Balancing local industrial participation with global supply?chain integration

12:00 – Signing Ceremony: Framatome and VUJE (at EDF Lounge)

12:00 – NTI’s Reactor Selection Tool: A Clear Guide to a Complex Landscape – presented by Nuclear Threat Initiative (at O2 Scènes – Forecourt)

13:55 – Announcement by GIFEN (TBC)

17:30 – Signing Ceremony: Launch of the Financing and Investing in Nuclear – Advisory Board by EDF and FINABe (at EDF Lounge)