World Nuclear Association Leads Global Momentum Ahead of the 2026 Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris

As governments, industry leaders and international organisations prepare to gather in Paris on 10 March for the Nuclear Energy Summit 2026, World Nuclear Association is proud to reflect on the efforts to assemble coalition of the ambitious behind the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy.

Hosted by the Government of France and supported by the IAEA, the Summit will bring Heads of State, international organisations, financial institutions, and industry together to discuss nuclear energy’s role in meeting global clean‑energy and climate targets. The IAEA has emphasised that the Summit will focus on strengthened cooperation, the latest technological developments, and the contribution of nuclear power to energy security and climate action.

Driving Global Commitment to Tripling Nuclear Capacity

This work builds on the long‑standing leadership of the Net Zero Nuclear (NZN) initiative that calls for unprecedented collaboration between government and industry leaders to at least triple global nuclear capacity to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

In the weeks leading up to the Summit, the Association has worked intensively with partners worldwide to encourage political alignment around the need to rapidly scale nuclear energy. The Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy encourages nations to support the global ambition of tripling nuclear generation capacity by 2050 to meet climate commitments, enhance energy security, and expand access to clean, reliable power.

The Declaration is now endorsed by 34 nations[1], with South Africa the latest to join last week. Beyond national governments, the Association has broadened the coalition to include 16 major financial institutions, 16 major energy users and over 140 nuclear industry companies that have joined in support of this goal and pledged to at least triple global nuclear capacity by 2050.

Positive support from these pledges and government policy has helped bring about change of policy at the World Bank and other Multilateral development banks to revise lending policies to include nuclear energy projects.

Shaping the Dialogue at the Summit

The IAEA’s Summit programme will include high‑level statements from national leaders pursuing the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and a series of scientific panels and roundtables in the afternoon, covering financing, innovation, regional strategies and nuclear deployment pathways.

Throughout the programme the Association will advocate for recognition of industry’s central role and seek opportunities to spotlight the NZN initiative and goal to at least triple global nuclear capacity. Our leadership will be visible not only through public statements and bilateral meetings but also through proposed participation in roundtables—particularly the Tripling Nuclear session, where new countries joining the political declaration will be announced.

A Defining Moment for Nuclear Energy

It is clear there is sizeable and growing ambition from governments for nuclear programmes to support climate and energy security, however this ambition must be met with decisive action. The World Nuclear Outlook Report, released earlier this year, projects that global nuclear capacity could reach 1446 GWe by 2050[2], exceeding the 1200 GW target set in the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy, but only if government targets are met.

To deliver on this ambition governments must now action the industrial strategy along with policy and financial frameworks to accelerate a wave of new nuclear deployment.

The upcoming Summit represents a pivotal milestone in the global effort to establish nuclear energy at the heart of climate and energy security policy. With more countries signalling interest in joining the declaration and with World Nuclear Association’s proactive coordination over recent months, Paris offers a chance to demonstrate unified global ambition and to set the tone for decisive action.