Highlights from Executive Plenary Day One

World Nuclear Symposium’s Executive Plenary began with a call for “bold, visionary leadership” in the nuclear sector by Dr Sama Bilbao y León.

Tripling capacity by 2050 is ambitious, but as many noted, it is the bare minimum required.

Key fact:

• The electricity consumption by data centres next year will be roughly equivalent to the country of Japan.

There is truly global momentum for nuclear. Day 1 featured speakers from 15 countries – featuring growth and success stories from Canada, Korea, China and UAE, plans for a 10 GWe expansion in South Africa and exciting ambition in Rwanda.

Symposium heard that we need to maximise what we already have. AI and advanced technologies can unlock insight from years of successful operation to extend lifetimes to 80 years and beyond.

Protecting existing capacity through successful lifetime extension is seen by many as foundational to the tripling of global nuclear capacity.

Key session:

• Maximizing Value from Existing Nuclear Power Plants

Watch back any session in the My Symposium delegate area.

Partnership is fundamental to our future. Inside the industry, a cultural shift and collaboration are driving Ontario’s programme and construction of the Darlington SMR. New partnerships with the tech sector, and beyond, need to be based on humility and honesty.

Key quote:

• “There is an increasing understanding that no one country, no one industry, can do it alone .” Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of King Charles III’s Sustainable Markets Initiative.

Workforce development was crucial to Barakah’s success, Mohamed Al-Hammadi, CEO of ENEC told Symposium. Tim Gitzel explained the deep relationships with communities at the heart of Cameco’s past and future. Mike Laufer from Kairos said: “The most important investment we’ve made is in our teams”. But as Ruth Todd from Rolls-Royce SMR said – “New entrants will have a new world and sector to enter into.”

Key facts:

• The French industry will recruit 100,000 more young professionals.
• IHI will triple its workforce to meet future demand for nuclear.

Now we need to deliver at pace. China is showing that new nuclear build can be done in as little as 56 months from first concrete to operation. As Sama noted, “the best way to do things well is doing them over and over and over again.” The Supply Chain session urged us to prioritise the visibility of our programmes to build investor confidence.

Last words:

• “Let’s deliver, deliver, deliver!” – Boris Schucht, Urenco.

Longer read: The Economist - " Why nuclear is now a booming industry "