Norman Foster's symposium speech putting case for nuclear

In this bonus episode, hear the full speech at World Nuclear Symposium in London from internationally renowned architect Lord Norman Foster. In it he says that nuclear's ability to provide a "vast amount of power" with "a tiny imprint" means that micro-modular power units should be being produced at "industrial-scale, like jet engines" with the potential to autonomously power new developments and move beyond the "obsolete idea of a grid". Speaking without notes, the 91-year-old multi-award-winner behind numerous iconic projects, including the HSBC building in Hong Kong, the Gherkin building in London and Apple's Californian campus, said that the 19th Century was the age of the Industrial Revolution, but the world was now moving into a new age, of "electrical revolution". He warned that, over decades, targets set to address climate change had not been met, and fossil fuels still dominated. Referring to wind and solar power, he said: "As a civilisation we hinge on the balance between the built-world and nature, so there is an imperative to get that balance right and not to threaten the very ecosystems that we survive on." He described himself as a fairly recent convert to nuclear energy - "my entry point was the nuclear battery, the micro-modular reactor - I was amazed to discover that something container-sized, with a co-generator, another similar-sized container of six metres/20 feet, could power 25 East Side blocks, a small town or community".World Nuclear Symposium, organised by World Nuclear Association, was held in London in the second week of September. There will be full reports and highlights of the event in the next edition of the World Nuclear News podcast.Key links to find out more:Foster + PartnersNorman Foster Institute World Nuclear NewsSummit hears of surging interest in investing in nuclear projects Email newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

Nuclear reactors worldwide generated 2702 TWh of electricity in 2025, beating the previous year's record of 2667 TWh, according to the newly published World Nuclear Outlook Report. The report also calculates that if all national targets for new nuclear capacity were achieved, total nuclear energy capacity would more than meet the widely-shared goal to at least triple nuclear capacity by 2050. The author of the World Nuclear Association report, Jonathan Cobb, who is senior programme lead, climate, at the association, outlines the key findings on nuclear energy plant performance and prospects. For instance, there is further evidence that the output and reliability of nuclear energy units remains high across the lifetime of reactors, increasing in many cases as units age.Looking ahead at the prospects for new nuclear capacity, he outlines how projects under construction, planned and pledged could see the current 423 GWe capacity increase to 1457 GWe by 2050 (GWe is gigawatts of electrical capacity). New capacity under construction increased to 82 GWe, with eleven reactors starting construction in 2025.The combined total of planned, proposed and potential capacity increased to 416 GWe, reducing the gap between actual projects and government targets, although around 550 GWe of currently envisaged capacity by 2050 under national targets has yet to be translated into specific project plans.As well as reviewing the progress towards individual countries' targets, the report includes a series of policy recommendations for governments, industry, financiers and regulators. These range from "establishing durable policy and investment frameworks, streamlining regulation and strengthening supply chains, to building the workforce, supporting proven reactor deployment and creating the programme-based delivery models needed". It also highlights that maintaining and extending the existing fleet is the fastest and most cost-effective way to secure low-carbon electricity.Key links to find out more:World Nuclear NewsWorld Nuclear Performance Report 2025Email newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

Anna Bryndza is Executive Vice President for International at nuclear industry market research and analysis company UxC, which plays a key role in the nuclear fuel cycle via its publications such as Ux Weekly. It also publishes the industry standard uranium spot prices.In this episode, she talks with Claire Maden about the current uranium market and the outlook for demand - and how past experience can help inform an element of caution in terms of some of the more ebullient suggestions of how much uranium will be needed in a decade or two's time.UxC's work reporting prices for uranium has a key role in the world nuclear fuel cycle and Bryndza outlines the history of the price reporting and outlines how the process works.And we also hear about the Atomic Runners group, and the growth of the social/fitness initiative.Key links to find out more:UxCWorld Nuclear Fuel Cycle: How best to meet growing demand?World Nuclear NewsEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

The inaugural World Nuclear Investment Guide aims to set out how governments, industry and financial institutions can create the conditions for the huge scale of investment required if the goal of at least tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050 is to be achieved.In this episode, host Alex Hunt is joined by the lead author of the guide, World Nuclear Association's Lola Infante, and Ananya Modi, co-head of the Energy and Power Financing team at Rothschild & Co, one of the experts on the advisory board overseeing the publication. They outline the thinking behind the creation of the guide, how it brought together finance and nuclear experts, and, of course its key findings - such as a cumulative investment opportunity of $6 trillion by 2050.Lola Infante says, of the guide, "we try to set out the journey to move from today's situation, which is mostly driven by government, to a situation where nuclear is just like any other asset class, where risks are known, they're understood, they're priced and priceable, where we have large pools of private capital participating in the market, where there is liquidity in the market, where nuclear financing is not only, or predominantly, a government thing. We need early engagement from investors and lenders so they can build deals that create benchmarks and frameworks and then can be replicated”.Ananya Modi calls the guide "a real turning point", and outlines the various factors which have come together to make financial investors so focused on nuclear power. He also says that financing is a core part of the need for nuclear power to become more standardised, and discusses the next steps.They say the aim is not to provide frameworks, but to provide tools and information and case studies and best practices to "help others create standardised templates … to facilitate their decision-making processes".The first module of the guide - Roadmap to Mainstream Finance: The Path to Scale Nuclear Energy - has just been published, with the rest of the guide set to be published in September.  Key links to find out more:The World Nuclear Investment GuideWorld Nuclear AssociationRothschild & CoWorld Nuclear NewsEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

The Hanford site in the US has a history dating back to the 1940s when it was established as part of the Manhattan Project. Plutonium was produced at the site, with the last reactor shut down in 1971. The legacy is the Hanford Tank Farms, which is a collection of 177 underground waste storage tanks. In this episode we hear from Karthik Subramanian, Chief Engineer and Innovation Director for Hanford Tank Waste Operations Closure, about the history of the site and the clean-up work taking place.Also taking part is his Amentum colleague Mike Houghton, Vice President of the Environment Division within Energy and Environment International, with the discussion covering the need to rethink the view that sites which need decommissioning are liabilities, and instead focus on the opportunities for future uses for the sites. Linked to this is the idea of accelerated decommissioning, where these potentially valuable sites (often perfect, for instance, for new nuclear) can have their value unlocked sooner. One result of this change of outlook for sites, would be to attract likely new opportunities for private finance in the decommissioning process. Key links to find out more:The Hanford SiteAmentumNew lease of life for US legacy nuclear sitesHeating begins at Hanford radioactive waste treatment plantWorld Nuclear NewsEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

Urenco's chief commercial officer Laurent Odeh joins us and outlines how the leading uranium enrichment company is expanding its operations in the US, the Netherlands and Germany to meet the growing demand for nuclear fuel. Demand which is coming from both existing units and also some of the growing numbers of advanced reactors in development.He talks about the company's history and the experience it has gained, including the decisions it had to take during the 2010s and how they fit in with what is now a record order book for Urenco's services.Odeh says that it is quicker to expand enrichment capacity than it is to build a new nuclear power plant, so is confident that enrichment services will be able to keep track with any rapid future nuclear energy capacity growth.He also gives an update on Urenco's development of LEU+ and HALEU fuel capabilities, as well as talking about the medical isotopes business that Urenco is growing, plus the decommissioning side of its work.And, in a wide-ranging discussion, Odeh says what he wants to see governments doing to help support the nuclear fuel cycle and wider nuclear energy growth in the years ahead.Key links to find out more:UrencoUrenco to build new US enrichment plant capacityWorld Nuclear NewsEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

The UK’s Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria in the North West of England has been operating for nearly seven decades, so probably for longer than any other such facility anywhere. During that time things have changed from a "tip and tumble" typical landfill disposal system, to today's approach with containerised waste and engineered vaults.Nuclear Waste Services' Director of Sites and Operations, Mike Pigott, and Head of Waste Services Howard Falconer, explain the history of the site, how its operations have changed and its plans for the future - including an update on the prospects for a deep geological disposal facility.The Low Level Waste Repository's role is to ensure that low-level waste generated in the UK is disposed of in a way that protects people and the environment. The repository site receives low-level solid waste from a range of customers, such as the nuclear industry, the Ministry of Defence, non-nuclear industries, educational, medical and research establishments. Legacy disposal trenches and vaults are now full and ready for permanent closure.Pigott outlines progress on the capping of the original parts of the giant site, which aims to make what began as initially a temporary disposal facility, a permanent - and environmentally safe - place for the low level waste. Falconer outlines the sustainability steps taken to reduce the amount of low level radioactive waste. For instance, reusing material from decommissioning projects in new-build constructions. The result is that there are still many decades-worth of capacity at the site.Key links to find out more:World Nuclear NewsNuclear Waste ServicesCapping of UK repository progressesEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

A decision is expected later this year by the Spanish government on whether to award a three-year reprieve to Almaraz nuclear power plant's units 1 and 2. They are currently scheduled to be shut down in 2027 as part of the country's 2019 nuclear phase-out policy.In this episode we hear from Marta Ugalde, President of Spanish Nuclear Industry Forum, Foro Nuclear, about the current situation with nuclear energy in Spain, and what the future might hold for an industry which has a rich history stretching back more than 60 years in the country.Ugalde says that the three-year operating extension would allow time for  consideration of whether there should be a more fundamental change to the phase-out plan, noting that similar reactors in the US are now licensed to operate for 80 years. She also talks about what impact last year's blackout has had on the case for nuclear energy.Spain's seven operating nuclear power reactors - Almaraz I and II, Ascó I and II, Cofrentes, Trillo and Vandellós II - generate about 20% of its electricity. Under the country's nuclear phase-out plans, agreed in 2019, four reactors are scheduled to close by the end of 2030 - including the two Almaraz ones - while the remaining three reactors will shut by 2035.The Almaraz plant currently supplies more than 7% of the electricity consumed in Spain, equivalent to 4 million homes, and employs about 4,000 people. Almaraz units I and II are pressurised water reactors with a net capacity of 1011 MWe and 1006 MWe, respectively. Unit I entered commercial operation in 1983 with unit II following the next year. The plant is owned by Iberdrola (53%), Endesa (36%), and Naturgy (11%).Key links to find out more:World Nuclear NewsForoNuclearRegulator requested to report on Almaraz licence extensionNuclear Power in SpainForoNuclear highlights role of nuclear in Spanish energy mix Email newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

China has been racing ahead in terms of new nuclear capacity and new nuclear developments in recent years, and there are big plans ahead, most recently set out in the country's latest five-year plan. In this episode we take an extended look at the nuclear energy sector in China, with François Morin, Country Director for World Nuclear Association.China currently has 62 GW of generating capacity plus 38 new units under construction which will add 44 GW. There are another 17 units approved with 20 GW capacity. This means that by 2033 China will likely have 120 GW of capacity. That number looks set to continue increasing at a similar - or faster - rate over the next two decades if the aim is to be achieved of a 15% share for nuclear in the future energy mix.Morin discusses the different reactor technologies being used, as well as innovative developments in district heating, and industrial heating with reactor combinations at power plants including high temperature gas-cooled reactors. There is also the latest news about China's landmark small modular reactor, its molten salt reactor developments, nuclear fusion plans, and much more.Key links to find out more:World Nuclear NewsFirst San'ao unit connected to the gridChina starts construction of innovative nuclear projectChinese SMR completes non-nuclear steam start up testConstruction milestone at Chinese underground laboratoryChinese molten salt reactor achieves conversion of thorium-uranium fuelEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production

How long should it take from signing a contract to first concrete, to completion, for a new nuclear power plant? And what needs to be done to ensure the funding can be unlocked for new units? Those are just two of the topics covered by Assystem's Stéphane Aubarbier.In addition to discussing progress on France's EPR2 new nuclear programme - and the lessons from EPR projects - the deputy CEO talks about Assystem's work in a variety of different countries, including the UK and Kazakhstan. He sees a positive trend towards regulatory similarities across borders, especially with newcomer countries - who he also notes can benefit from devising efficient licensing and permitting systems.Aubarbier also covers the company's involvement with the ITER multinational fusion project and other fusion projects. His advice to young people considering their future career options is to find a subject and work that they find fun, adding: "If you have studied physics, are an engineer or a scientist, nuclear is a dream world."Key links to find out more:AssystemWorld Nuclear NewsWNE panel discusses adding value to the supply chainEmail newsletter:Sign up to the World Nuclear News daily or weekly news round-upsContact info:[email protected] credit:  Presenter Alex Hunt. Co-produced and mixed by Pixelkisser Production