Nuclear Scaling Initiative releases global strategy
Washington D.C. — The Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI), a collaboration between Clean Air Task Force (CATF), the EFI Foundation (EFIF), and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), today published a new roadmap outlining a comprehensive strategy for building a new nuclear energy ecosystem capable of dramatically increasing the deployment of safe and secure nuclear energy to 50 gigawatts or more annually by the 2030s.
“Nuclear energy has a vital role to play in ensuring energy security, driving economic development, and meeting global emissions targets as we address rising energy demand,” said Stephen Comello, NSI’s executive director and EFIF’s senior vice president of Strategic Initiatives. “NSI is paving a pragmatic, safe, and actionable path forward for countries by addressing financing barriers and accelerating construction timelines for scaling nuclear energy.”
NSI will focus its initial efforts on the United States and Central and Eastern Europe, with plans to expand to other regions around the globe. In the United States, surging demand for electricity from energy-intensive sectors such as advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence data centers underscores the need for reliable, low-carbon heat and power. Meanwhile, countries in Central and Eastern Europe are looking to nuclear energy to reduce dependence on imported energy resources, bolster energy security, and meet European Union climate targets.
“The United States and Central and Eastern Europe are uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of nuclear energy expansion,” said Malwina Qvist, director of CATF’s Nuclear Energy Program. “Without clear policy signals and complementary financial structures, the industry will struggle to scale at the pace required to meet climate and energy security goals. Our foundational report offers a roadmap for unlocking nuclear energy’s full potential.”
NSI’s strategy for scaling integrates nonproliferation, a critical element to prevent the expansion of nuclear energy from providing a pathway for new countries to acquire nuclear weapons.
“As countries expand their nuclear energy capabilities, maintaining a strong commitment to nonproliferation is essential for global security and the long-term economic viability of nuclear energy,” said Scott Roecker, vice president of NTI’s Nuclear Materials Security Program. “Reactor designs and fuel cycle options can and must be developed to keep weapons-usable materials out of the nuclear supply chain.”
To ensure the rapid expansion of safe and secure nuclear energy globally, NSI is organized around five key outcomes:
- Forming Durable Demand Signals: NSI will bring together demand-side stakeholders to form a series of buyers clubs—regional coalitions of project sponsors that will generate durable demand for nuclear energy.
- Assembling Orderbooks: NSI will work with buyers clubs to secure firm commitments for building multiple units of a particular reactor design. These orderbooks will drive cost reductions through supply chain readiness, regulatory consistency, and a skilled workforce.
- Informing Technology Selection: NSI will develop tools to help project stakeholders select reactor designs based on deployment timescales, regulatory readiness, supply chain maturity, and strong nonproliferation and security standards.
- Advocating for Cohesive and Efficient Regulatory Frameworks: NSI will collaborate with regulators and competent authorities worldwide to develop coherent licensing frameworks and streamlined approval processes for new nuclear energy projects to expedite progress without compromising safety.
- Enabling a Vibrant Nuclear Energy Delivery System: NSI will work with public and private sector partners to facilitate workforce development, strengthen supply chains, and apply lessons from past projects to improve efficiency and reduce costs for future deployments.
Read the full report, A Global Strategy for Nuclear Energy Expansion, at nuclearscaling.org.
Press Contact
Natalie Volk, Communications Manager, CATF, [email protected]
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world.
About the EFI Foundation
The EFI Foundation is a Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public on issues relating to harnessing the power of technology and policy innovation to accelerate the clean energy transition. Under the leadership of Ernest J. Moniz, the 13th U.S. Secretary of Energy, the EFI Foundation builds on the legacy work of the Energy Futures Initiative, a nonprofit organization co-founded by former Secretary Moniz in 2017.
About the Nuclear Threat Initiative
The Nuclear Threat Initiative is a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization focused on reducing nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity.
