Energy Day at COP31: Nuclear’s Pledges Turn to Projects

Five panels, two media interviews, one message: the ambition is settled, and delivery starts now. Türkiye, the host, shows what that looks like. 

Antalya, 10 November 2026 

COP31’s Energy and Transport day put energy security, electrification, grid infrastructure and diversification at the centre of the conference. For nuclear energy, the day had a clear theme. Across five panels in Antalya, speakers agreed that the question is no longer whether the world wants more nuclear, but how quickly it can be built. 

World Nuclear Association Director General Dr Sama Bilbao y León set out the scale of the opportunity. If governments deliver on their current plans, global nuclear capacity could reach 1,467 GWe by 2050, according to the Association’s World Nuclear Outlook Report, comfortably above the goal of tripling capacity. Thirty-nine countries now endorse the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy, six of them since COP30, and 88 GWe of new capacity is under construction around the world.

From Pledge to Power 

At the Canada Pavilion, the Canadian Nuclear Association’s panel “From Pledge to Power: What Must Happen by 2030 to Triple Nuclear Energy by 2050?” focused on the decisions needed this decade. Moderated by CNA’s Natalie Cutler, the panel brought together CNA President and CEO George Christidis, Joe St. Julian of AtkinsRéalis, Wei Huang of the IAEA and Dr Bilbao y León. 

Panellists discussed project sequencing, financing, licensing, workforce, fuel supply and manufacturing capacity. They used Canada as a case study, drawing on its long-standing fleet, reactor refurbishments, uranium production, SMR development and strong domestic supply chain. 

Dr Bilbao y León said the gap is no longer ambition but execution. By 2030, she said, the world needs to see targets turned into investment decisions: sites chosen, regulators resourced, and supply chain and workforce plans in place. Her one action for governments and industry was to commit to programmes, not projects. A visible pipeline of standardized units, she said, lets the supply chain, workforce and financiers invest once and deliver many times over. 

 

Electrification Needs Evolution, Not Revolution 

At the IYNC Pavilion, young professionals and Dr Jonathan Cobb discussed how the Global North and Global South can each electrify on their own terms. 

The International Youth Nuclear Congress’s session “Powering the Future – Building Reliable, Affordable and Clean Energy Systems” looked at the challenges of global electrification. Hosted by IYNC’s Mads Bunch Larsen, the panel included Marynsia Mangu of Success Hands, Tanzania, Eirini Sampson of Imperial College London and Dr Jonathan Cobb of the World Nuclear Association. 

The panel agreed there is no single route to electrification. Countries facing energy poverty need reliable, affordable power now. Developed economies face the cost of replacing ageing infrastructure. In both cases, investment should plan for future demand, including heating and cooling, and not just today’s needs. Technology transfer and local skills were seen as essential for the Global South. 

Nuclear was discussed alongside renewables as part of the low-carbon mix. Panellists noted that nearly 40 countries back tripling nuclear capacity, compared with more than 140 for renewables. How each country uses nuclear will depend on its infrastructure, economy and energy needs. 

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to electrification,” said Dr Cobb. “It’s more about evolution rather than revolution. We must think about the end point, not just the first step.” 

 

Nuclear and renewables, working together 

At the Türkiye Pavilion, IC Holding, a major Turkish construction partner at Akkuyu, hosted “Powering the Clean Energy Transition: The Strategic Role of Advanced Nuclear, Renewables and International Partnerships”. 

Dr Bilbao y León said nuclear and renewables are not in competition.

“They do different jobs in the same system,” she said.

Wind and solar add low-carbon kilowatt-hours, while nuclear provides firm, round-the-clock power and high-temperature heat. She called for nuclear to be judged on the same criteria as any other low-carbon source in taxonomies, lending policies and climate finance. She also noted that the World Bank and other development banks have already opened their doors to nuclear. 

 

SMRs and Türkiye’s nuclear future 

Later in the afternoon, TENMAK hosted “The Role of Nuclear Energy in Clean Energy Transition: SMR”, with speakers from Türkiye’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the IAEA, Rosatom, IC Holding and the World Nuclear Association. They discussed where SMRs can contribute most, what is holding back commercial deployment, and Türkiye’s own plans. 

Dr Bilbao y León said the world needs both large reactors and SMRs. Large units secure big blocks of round-the-clock power, while SMRs suit smaller grids, remote regions and industrial heat. The real innovation, she said, is the delivery model: reactors manufactured repeatedly as a product. She expects broad deployment of SMRs based on proven water-cooled technology in the early 2030s. 

The host country offered a live example of the day’s theme. Akkuyu Unit 1, the first of four reactors under construction, is expected to generate its first electricity by the end of 2026 or early 2027. Once complete, the plant should meet around 10% of Türkiye’s electricity needs, in a country that imports around three-quarters of its energy. Türkiye is targeting 20 GWe of nuclear capacity by mid-century. 

 

Central Asia’s Nuclear Push Needs Programmes, Not Just Plants 

At the Kazakhstan Pavilion, “Nuclear, Climate, Future: A Dialogue of Generations in Central Asia” looked at nuclear energy’s role in climate ambition, energy security and economic development across the region. Moderated by Diana Gamazova of the International Youth Council Impact Team 2050, the panel brought together Timur Zhantikin of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy, Yernazar Shynasyl of the Kurultai, Huang Wei of the IAEA, Okan Yildiz of Nuclear for Climate Türkiye and World Nuclear Association Senior Programme Lead Dr Jonathan Cobb. 

Speakers noted that 42 newcomer countries are now developing nuclear programmes. Financing, regulatory delays and workforce shortages remain the main barriers. Kazakhstan already has strong foundations in uranium production and nuclear research. Türkiye’s Akkuyu project offers lessons in involving local industry. 

Dr Cobb said around 60% of global electricity still comes from fossil fuels, while demand could double or triple by 2050.

“It’s about planning the electricity generation mix for the 2040s and the 2050s,” he said.

He also stressed that a nuclear programme is about much more than the plant itself: it means training engineers and operators, building construction expertise and having a capable regulator. He proposed that Kazakhstan develop a best-practice case study for other newcomers. The Association would help by bringing together vendors and supply chain companies in a technology-neutral assessment. 

 

The ask for COP31 

Throughout the day, the Association’s message was consistent. The COP31 Presidency’s 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge aims for electricity to supply 35% of final energy consumption by 2035. Reactors already under construction will add 88 GWe by then, yet the pledge does not mention nuclear energy. 

“Treat all clean energy on equal terms,” Dr Bilbao y León said.

Nuclear should be recognised alongside renewables in the UNFCCC process and in the electrification pledge, and national targets should be backed by programmes and financing frameworks so that ambition becomes investment decisions. 

On a day dedicated to energy, the conclusion from Antalya was clear: the pledges have been made, and now they must become projects. 

Explore the full programme of World Nuclear Association events at COP 31.