From Demand to Deployment: Industry Leaders Gather in Istanbul to Shape Nuclear Solutions for Large Energy Users 

World Nuclear Association, in partnership with the Nuclear Industry Association of Türkiye (NIATR), held the End Energy Users Workshop, From Demand to Deployment: Shaping Nuclear Solutions for Large Energy Users, at Istanbul Technical University on 8 June. 

The workshop brought together industrial energy users, nuclear developers, financiers, policymakers and academics to explore a critical question: how can the growing demand for clean, reliable energy be translated into deployable nuclear projects? 

Discussions focused on the practical requirements of industrial users, the role of advanced nuclear technologies in decarbonization, and the financial, regulatory and supply chain conditions needed to accelerate deployment. 

Key takeaways 

1. The demand is real, and increasingly specific 

The demand for nuclear energy is real. It is not a forecast or a hope — it is here, and it is diverse. We heard it from carbon removal, synthetic fuels, glass and chemicals, from automotive, and we know it from data centres and heavy industry like the metallurgical industry or the oil & gas industry around the world. This is no longer just a conversation we in the nuclear industry are having about potential users. Energy intensive sectors are actively shaping the demand. The users themselves are now organising defining their own requirements, in their own parameters, and bringing them to the nuclear industry. That is new, and it changes everything. The customers are pulling and telling the industry what they actually need.  

The workshop showcased the increasing interest in nuclear energy from governments, industries and investors around the world. 

Thomas Jam Pedersen, Co-founder and CEO of Copenhagen Atomics, reflected on the industry's current momentum: 

"The industry is not just talking about nuclear. It is mobilising." 

Discussions highlighted ambitious nuclear expansion plans in countries including Türkiye, India and Sweden, alongside growing interest from energy-intensive industries seeking long-term, secure and competitive energy supplies. 

2. Industrial decarbonization requires more than electrification, and nuclear’s role extends beyond electricity 

A recurring theme throughout the workshop was the need for reliable, low-carbon energy solutions that can provide both power and industrial heat. Off-takers do not need just one thing. Some need electricity. Many more need process heat, at temperature, around the clock. Some want firm power on the grid; some might need behind-the-meter solutions. Thus, the demand will come in various models, and if we want to meet them, we must not treat it as a single homogenous thing. 

Volkan Türkeş, NPP Projects Coordinator at Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, highlighted the challenge facing many industrial economies: 

"In constrained energy systems - like Türkiye's - local, reliable heat solutions are becoming critical. With a highly congested grid, electrification alone is not the answer." 

Sessions explored how nuclear energy can enable integrated decarbonization solutions for the entire economy, including Direct Air Capture (DAC), hydrogen production and sustainable aviation fuels. 

Discussions featuring Equilibrion and Climeworks highlighted the potential for combining nuclear-generated heat and electricity with carbon removal technologies and synthetic fuel pathways. These integrated systems could help decarbonize sectors such as aviation and heavy industry, where alternatives remain limited. 

Participants discussed the role that large reactors and SMRs could play in supporting industrial processes, hydrogen production, synthetic fuels and other hard-to-abate sectors. Participants also explored the distinction between carbon utilization and permanent carbon removal, and the importance of reliable, low-carbon energy sources to support both approaches at scale. 

3. Moving from demand to delivery 

Participants agreed that financing will be critical to turning opportunity into projects. 

Discussions focused on balancing public support with commercial viability, creating bankable project structures and developing frameworks that can attract private capital while reducing risk. Speakers emphasized that successful deployment will depend not only on technology readiness but also on the financial and policy environments surrounding projects. 

Throughout the day, the conversation repeatedly returned to implementation. While the case for nuclear energy is increasingly understood, attention is now shifting to how projects can be delivered at scale. 

As Mesut Uzman of Fermi America noted: 

"Nuclear has to move from projects to electrons." 

The workshop demonstrated that the conversation around nuclear energy is evolving from what is theoretically possible to what can realistically be built, financed and deployed. Bringing together end users, developers, investors and policymakers, the event highlighted the growing consensus that collaboration across the entire value chain will be essential to meeting industrial demand and accelerating the deployment of nuclear solutions.