Four topics from World Nuclear Association’s January Working Groups for the industry to take forward in 2025

Updated Wednesday, 29 January 2025

The momentum is with nuclear energy as we go into 2025. Last year, investment from the technology companies into the nuclear sector to power their data centres, coupled with countries prioritizing energy security, and ambitious de-carbonization targets coming into focus, put nuclear energy in the spotlight like never before.  

Against this exciting backdrop, World Nuclear Association members met in London for their Working Groups, to build business relationships, listen to the latest learnings and plan how to capitalize on this unique moment we are seeing across the industry. The triannual working groups are a key member benefit, providing a forum for our members to connect and advise on the Association’s strategy for key topics across the industry.  

To share a snapshot from these meetings, here are 4 keys areas that members and non-members in nuclear energy and across the nuclear industry supply chain can take forward into 2025. 

  1. The Supply Chain Working Group talked about its priorities for the inaugural World Nuclear Supply Chain conference in Poland in May. In the near term, the focus will be on boosting demand signals for future supply chain needs and optimizing a resilient international nuclear supply chain with balanced local, regional, and global suppliers for reactor fleet expansion.  

  2. The End Energy Users Panel explored how nuclear energy can revolutionize the way we power intensive industry from tech to shipping. As the development of SMRs and micro-reactors continues apace, understanding the opportunity for both sides of the equation is crucial. Read our article on why Data centre energy demands find their answer in nuclear electricity.  

  3. Member experts in the Fuel Report Working Group discussed how to scale uranium supply to meet demand as the nuclear industry aims to at least triple capacity by 2050.  The group looked ahead to the 2025 edition of the The Nuclear Fuel Report: Global Scenarios for Demand and Supply Availability. Since the 1970s, the Report has drawn on confidential surveys, international agencies, and public data to provide authoritative projections of global nuclear fuel supply and demand .  This year it will again deliver essential insights to governments, industry, finance, and multilateral organizations for forecasting and policy development. 

  4. The Transport Working Group remains at the forefront of discussions about the transport of radioactive materials, working collaboratively to address challenges and keep pace with the industry's rapid advancements.  Key topics include the denial of shipment of radioactive material for air transportation, strategies for transporting fuel for Generation IV reactors, and the expansion of nuclear shipping. 

All of our Working Groups were forward-looking and focused on identifying the practical steps needed to enable the tripling of nuclear capacity by 2050. Whether that was ensuring the supply chain is in place to deploy reactors at speed and scale, incentivizing advanced fuel designs, or unlocking green finance mechanisms to nuclear: members were focused on overcoming challenges together.  

If you are a member of World Nuclear Association, and not currently involved with Working Groups but would like to be, please contact membership to find out more about the groups and how to join.  

We look forward to welcoming you at our upcoming events. In April, international experts, market observers, governments and industry will meet at our World Nuclear Fuel Cycle conference to tackle the challenge of fueling the expected global growth of nuclear.  In May, project developers, nuclear suppliers and manufacturers, reactor vendors and new market entrants will join forces at our World Nuclear Supply Chain conference to accelerate the rebuilding of the nuclear industrial infrastructure and its capabilities.   

And in September, our World Nuclear Symposium – our 50th Symposium – will connect and unite the global nuclear industry with government, finance, technology, the wider energy sector and beyond.