¶¶Òõpro

The guide, developed by ¶¶Òõpro with leaders from the finance and nuclear sectors, aims to outline the conditions required from governments, industry and financial institutions for the required scale of investment to be achieved.

According to ¶¶Òõpro's most recent World Nuclear Outlook Report "when all operable, under construction, planned, proposed, and potential reactors are combined with government targets, the total global capacity could reach 1,446 GWe by 2050", up from the current 403 MWe capacity of operable reactors.

It says that the required USD6 trillion up to 2050 - which includes the investment needs of the full sector from mining to reactor construction to decommissioning and storage costs - means there needs to be a "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".

According to the association, there are 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".

The newly published first part of the guide - the - says that "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".

Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of ¶¶Òõpro, 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."

The roadmap says that for mainstream financiers, the main barrier is not one of capital or risk appetite, but of market readiness and long-term policy commitment - "financial frameworks, standardised instruments, comparable market data, and track records that allow mainstream investors to assess and price nuclear risk with confidence are still being developed".

As an example, it says that development-stage financing "for activities such as licensing, engineering, site preparation and early procurement, typically has no revenue stream to support it. It falls outside standard project finance structures, leaving developers reliant on corporate balance sheets, vendor risk-sharing or early-stage catalytic capital".

It also highlights the financing needs of the supply chain - "manufacturers and component suppliers need working capital, tooling investment and capacity expansion funding well ahead of confirmed orders, distinct from the financing of the plant itself. Export credit agencies, trade finance and supplier-focused guarantee instruments are central to closing this gap. Closing both gaps is a precondition for the transition described in this roadmap".

Listen to ¶¶Òõpro podcast: The first World Nuclear Investment Guide

A range of leaders from the nuclear and finance sectors played key roles as members of the Nuclear Investment Guide Advisory Board and Task Force, in producing the guide which 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".

Ananya Modi, Managing Director, Rothschild & Co, said: "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."

Luba Kotzeva, CEO & founding partner, Etara, said that producing a practical roadmap for bringing new sources of capital into the market was a key development as "the transition from strategic sovereign capital to mainstream finance will be one of the defining challenges for the nuclear sector".

Issam Taleb, Partner, Global Nuclear Industry Leader, EY, said: "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."

Roger Martella, Chief Corporate Officer, GE Vernova, said: "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."

The full World Nuclear Investment Guide is due to be launched on 9 September at the Finance Summit being held as part of World Nuclear Symposium in London.