INTRODUCTION | WNE2025
Nuclear today and tomorrow
Nuclear power is the only viable technology able to deliver safe, clean and
affordable energy worldwide at the necessary scale. But that is just the start of the story. Nuclear is here for today and tomorrow for electricity and beyond
By Sylvie Bermann, President of WNE
THE NUCLEAR SECTOR IS UNDERGOING a real “renaissance”. At the time of the first World Nuclear Exhibition that I had the opportunity to chair, in 2021, speaking openly about nuclear was out of the question. Today, nuclear power is the only viable technology to secure the needs of energy worldwide, in a safe, clean and affordable way. Nuclear represents today around 10% of the global electricity mix (around 25% of the low-carbon electricity mix). Given the upcoming tremendous needs, if only for artificial intelligence, nuclear power will have to increase at an unprecedented pace just to maintain its current share of the electricity mix. We will need all the leverage in our hands: developing new programmes, of course, but also take advantage of the existing fleet, in increasing their performance or in long-term operation. SMRs and AMRs should also be considered as they could provide the required energy for direct industrial applications. And nuclear energy is not only for electricity: nuclear medicine is only a few steps away from producing miracles in cancer treatment, agriculture is already using nuclear to prevent diseases or waste, and the industrial applications are limitless: heat, hydrogen, synthetic fuels and more. Instead of talking about barriers, let us talk about the
enablers: a stable regulatory framework, which will reduce part of the risk for a project and enable sustainable financing schemes; a supply chain which is able to provide competitiveness and quality; a highly trained workforce and adapted academic programmes to provide their renewal given nuclear infrastructure programmes are quite long- term; and, research programmes to foster innovation and enable efficiency and competitiveness. There are three major drivers that can enable those developments: Learn from the past successful programmes and also
from those which have been more difficult to achieve Learn from each other: nuclear industry associations
collaborate worldwide in this perspective, as a failure for one is a failure for all and success for one is success for all. We need all the resources we can get and all the programmes are required if only to keep the share of nuclear in the global energy mix.
Learn from the future: digital
tools are true enablers and artificial intelligence will no doubt surprise us The 2025 World Nuclear Exhibition will showcase the vitality of the sector as we expect almost 1,000 exhibitors from the whole value chain of nuclear industry, at least 20 national pavilions and more than 25,000 visitors. The official programme will address the key enablers for nuclear power, from financing to standardisation, from long-term operations (LTO) and performance to stakeholder engagement or artificial intelligence. For the first
time, a round table will address the perspectives of fusion. The successful programmes of the 2023 event have
been renewed: Job and Training, to welcome young people and promote training programmes, Start-up village, to showcase the top nuclear start-ups worldwide, and the WNE Innovation Awards, which will reward the most innovative projects in four categories: performance and LTO, flexibility, construction, and non-electric uses. This last theme will also have a dedicated exhibition, within the show, highlighting the most innovative projects in the field of nuclear medicine, agriculture, or industrial uses. The IAEA and the French Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) are key partners of this “Beyond Electricity Expo”. World Nuclear Exhibition will be driven by two themes
in 2025 : Nuclear, today and tomorrow, to emphasise that we need all the options we have available, from making the most of our existing power plants to fostering innovation and youth engagement. The second theme is Electricity and Beyond, as we develop new applications for nuclear, and this is only the start of the story.
At a time when the world is seeking solutions to
reconcile growth, climate challenges and energy sovereignty, nuclear power is positioning itself as an essential pillar. It combines the robustness of a proven sector with the boldness of a dynamic industry, ready to write the next chapters in the history of energy. Between heritage and innovation, a tradition of excellence and a pioneering spirit, the nuclear industry is proving that it has everything it needs to light the way to the future, a future where energy and progress go hand in hand. ■
www.neimagazine.com | WNE Special Edition | 3
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