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THE THIRD FRENCH Multiannual Energy Plan (PPE3) covering the period 2026–2035 aims to increase decarbonised electricity production to between 650 and 693 TWh in 2035, compared with 458 TWh in 2023, while reducing fossil fuel consumption to about 330 TWh in 2035, compared with 900 TWh in 2023. The new roadmap marks a significant shift toward nuclear energy while scaling back previous targets for certain renewables.
INTRODUCING THE UNION Budget in India’s Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled plans to extend the existing basic customs duty exemption on imports of goods required for Nuclear Power Projects till the year 2035 and expand it for all nuclear plants irrespective of their capacity. The budget also provided support for India’s nuclear research ecosystem, nearly doubling allocations for research and development under the Department of Atomic Energy.
SWEDEN’S GOVERNMENT HAS put forward several proposals to support the establishment of new nuclear power including a new approval law, enabling more sites for nuclear power on the coast and increasing state support for municipality feasibility studies. The proposals, which will be referred to the Legislative Council, include a law to enable an earlier position on new nuclear facilities from the government and the municipalities concerned compared with the current regime.
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH Straits Times, Darryl Chan, Director of Singapore’s recently established Nuclear Energy Office at the Energy Market Authority, said his team will be looking to develop expertise not just in nuclear technologies and safety assessments, but also in policy, environmental and economic analysis
SAFETY AND SECURITY AN INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Review Mission on Ageing Management and Continued Safe Operation (SALTO-RR) team has completed a review of continued safe operation of the SAFARI-1 Research Reactor in Pelindaba, South Africa. The mission was requested by reactor operator, South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA). The team reviewed the SAFARI-1 reactor’s preparedness, organisation and programmes, focusing on ageing management and continued safe operation.
8 | March 2026 |
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IEA sees growing nuclear share
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) annual report on global electricity markets, ‘Electricity 2026’, forecasts that the share of renewables and nuclear in global power mix will increase from 42% today to 50% by the end of the decade. The report provides in-depth analysis of
recent trends and policy developments, and includes forecasts for electricity demand, supply and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions over the five-year period to 2030. Electricity demand is on course to grow at least 2.5 times as fast as overall energy demand to 2030. This is driven by rising industrial use of electricity, the continued uptake of electric vehicles, higher air conditioning use and expansion of data centres and artificial intelligence (AI). According to the report: “Nuclear generation set a new record in 2025 and is set to continue rising steadily through 2030. Nuclear power output in 2025 was supported by reactor restarts in Japan, higher generation in France, and new capacity additions in China, India and other countries. While most of the growth in nuclear generation through 2030 is expected to occur in emerging economies, with China alone accounting for around 40% of the global increase, nuclear energy is also regaining strategic importance in many advanced economies, underpinned by supportive policy frameworks to extend the lifetime of reactors and add new capacity.” It adds: “Nuclear generation is set to increase
by an average of 2.8% over our forecast period, more than double the 1.3% growth rate in 2021 2025. The gains are led by new reactors being commissioned in China, India, Korea and other countries, restarts in Japan, and robust output
United States Valar reactor transported to Utah The US Department of War (DOW – formerly Department of Defense) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are partnering to to support the transportation of the Valar Atomics Ward250 reactor to the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL). The reactor was transported using C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah in a first-of-its-kind airlift of a nuclear reactor, dubbed Operation Windlord. Ward250 is a 100 kWt high temperature gas-
cooled reactor (HTGR) design that uses TRISO fuel, helium coolant and graphite moderators. It aims to build America’s first nuclear gigasites – clusters of thousands of HTGRs designed to produce industrial power and carbon-based fuels cheaper than oil.
in France from the planned advancement of the maintenance works. Nuclear electricity output is expected to remain relatively stable in both the United States and the European Union over the forecast period, while it increases strongly in China, where almost 30 GW of new nuclear capacity is expected to come online over the five-year 2026-2030 outlook.” It continues: “Nuclear generation in China
is expected to increase by nearly 6% per year on average through 2030, while output in the United States and the European Union remains broadly stable. Consequently, China’s share of global nuclear generation is projected to rise from 17% in 2025 to 20% in 2030, whereas the United States’ share declines from 29% to 25% and the European Union’s share falls from 23% to 20%. Despite these falling shares, increasing nuclear generation is a major focus in the United States, with new small modular reactor (SMRs) capacity slated to come online just outside our 2026-2030 forecast period.” There is also strong interest in many
countries of the European Union, with policies in place for lifetime extensions and expansion of nuclear capacities. “Globally, SMRs are receiving particularly high levels of attention, both from the public sector and also from private industry, such as from large technology companies, as the modular designs and smaller scale of SMRs make them more attractive for financing and deployment by the private sector. Nevertheless… the success of the technology depends on a combination of government commitment and supportive policies, timely regulatory design reviews, continued innovation from technology developers, and financing from both public and private sectors.”■
In September 2025 Valar began ground-
breaking for the reactor at USREL, part of the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED). Since then, the site has transitioned to heavy construction and component delivery. Over 4,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured for the foundations of the Ward250 reactor and the on-site fuel fabrication facility, which is being built alongside. For shipment to USREL, the reactor was broken down into eight distinct modular units to fit the cargo dimensions of the C-17 aircraft. The reactor was transported without nuclear fuel (unfilled) to comply with safety regulations and simplify the airlift logistics. The hardware includes the reactor vessel, graphite moderators, and helium cooling systems. Digital “fly-by-wire” style control systems, similar to those validated in the Ward Zero prototype, were integrated into the modules. A convoy of three C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was used to carry the eight modules.
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