Nuclear and finance sectors unite behind roadmap to meet governments’ ambition to at least triple global nuclear capacity by 2050

• New Roadmap to Mainstream Finance sets out how governments, industry and financial institutions can create the conditions for nuclear investment at scale.
• Delivering global nuclear growth requires investment to rise to an annual average of more than $250 billion, with financing needs accelerating in the mid-2030s and totalling $6 trillion by 2050.

Issued Wednesday 29 July 2026

Meeting global demand for nuclear energy will require annual investment to rise to more than $250 billion per year, representing a cumulative investment opportunity of approximately $6 trillion to 2050, according to new analysis released by World Nuclear Association. This level of investment is consistent with the ambition to at least triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, while enabling nuclear energy to support growing electricity demand and strengthen energy security and decarbonisation efforts worldwide.

Achieving industrial scale worldwide, rather than in just a few existing markets, will require significant investment from private, as well as public sources of finance, with capital flowing not only to new generating capacity but also to the nuclear fuel cycle needed to deliver it at scale.

Both findings form part of the Roadmap to Mainstream Finance: The Path to Scale Nuclear Energy, the first module of the inaugural World Nuclear Investment Guide. The roadmap sets out the opportunity for a variety of institutional investors across both equity and debt structures, as well as six implementation steps to move nuclear from bespoke, government-led financing towards a mainstream energy infrastructure asset class.

The roadmap calls on the financial community to help establish the six conditions needed to make nuclear a mainstream asset class: institutional support, business standardisation, priceable risk and reward, market remuneration frameworks, supply chain capacity and maturity transformation mechanisms. These conditions are achievable. Similar journeys to industrial scale have been made in offshore wind, liquified-natural-gas and other capital-intensive energy infrastructure sectors when industry, government and finance aligned around common frameworks and investable models.

By expanding their nuclear literacy, developing the capability to assess nuclear investments, supporting clearer risk allocation and participating in early transactions, financial institutions can help establish the conditions needed to unlock broader pools of institutional capital.

Speaking about the new guide, Dr Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of World Nuclear Association, said: “The challenge is not a shortage of capital. The challenge is creating the confidence, capability and investment architecture that allow capital to flow to nuclear projects at scale. The World Nuclear Investment Guide gives financial institutions the tools, frameworks and expertise they need to assess nuclear projects with the same confidence they bring to other major infrastructure investments.”

World Nuclear Association has developed the Roadmap and Guide through sustained engagement with leaders from across the nuclear and financial sectors, including through the Financing Nuclear Briefing Series, the Nuclear Investment Guide Advisory Board and a member-driven Task Force. This convening role is intended to close knowledge gaps, build a common language and bring governments, industry and investors together around the steps needed to scale nuclear finance.

Reflecting the collaborative approach behind the Roadmap, members of the Nuclear Investment Guide Advisory Board and Task Force said,

Ananya Modi, Managing Director, Rothschild & Co: “The challenge for nuclear power is as much about capital as it is about technology. We often hear about the need for nuclear power to become more standardised if it is to become scalable and cost-effective, and financing is a core part of that transition. World Nuclear Association has taken on an important and ambitious task in bringing together people who operate and advise across multiple jurisdictions and technology classes. That collaboration is essential if we are to meet the urgent demand for capital that will support the exponential growth of this critical asset class.”

Luba Kotzeva, CEO & founding partner, Etara: “The transition from strategic sovereign capital to mainstream finance will be one of the defining challenges for the nuclear sector. This first module, of the World Nuclear Investment Guide, provides a practical roadmap for bringing new sources of capital into the market.

Arthur Dwight Hyde, Portfolio Manager, Segra Capital Management LLC: "Institutional investors need clear information, priceable risks and credible market signals. The publication of this first module, of the World Nuclear Investment Guide, is an important step towards building those foundations for nuclear investment." 

Roger Martella, Chief Corporate Officer, GE Vernova: “Nuclear is already sprinting toward the critical role it will play in the future, but for the industry to reach its full potential, strong financing solutions must evolve just as fast alongside technology. The innovative Roadmap provides the critical framework to guide the industry towards success globally."

Charles Pybus, Director, Arup: "Delivering major energy and infrastructure projects at scale requires clear investment frameworks and confidence from the financial community. The Roadmap provides a practical foundation for strengthening the conditions needed to attract capital and accelerate nuclear deployment."

Issam Taleb, Partner, Global Nuclear Industry Leader, EY "The financial challenge facing nuclear is ultimately one of market maturity. By outlining the steps needed to create standardised, investable frameworks, this Roadmap provides a useful reference point for policymakers, developers and investors alike."

Read the Roadmap to Mainstream Finance: The Path to Scale Nuclear Energy at worldnuclearassociation.foleon.com/nuclear-investment-guide/roadmap-finance/

The full World Nuclear Investment Guide will be launched at the Finance Summit during the World Nuclear Symposium (9-11 September in London), where financial institutions, development banks, investors and industry leaders will convene to discuss the capital flows and partnerships needed to support nuclear growth worldwide.

Notes for Editors

Today, nuclear energy provides around 9% of the world's electricity from 400 GWe nuclear capacity in 31 countries. Nuclear provides over 20% of the world’s low-carbon electricity and is the largest source of low-carbon power in OECD countries.

• The World Nuclear Outlook Report projects that global nuclear capacity could reach 1446 GWe by 2050, exceeding the 1200 GW target set in the Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy, if government targets are met. This assessment includes plans for continued and extended operation of existing reactors, completion of those under construction, and realization of planned and proposed projects, alongside national capacity targets.
• The Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy by 2050 is endorsed by 38 countries.
• Many of the world’s largest financial institutions and major energy users have joined this coalition of the ambitious in support of the nuclear industry pledge to at least triple global nuclear capacity by 2050.