Author: PPD Team Date: 27/05/2025
At the 2025 World Nuclear Supply Chain (WNSC) Conference, leaders across the sector emphasised a shared priority: long-term policy certainty from governments.
Sama Bilbao y León, head of the World Nuclear Association, called for stability in regulation and policy direction to give companies the confidence to plan and invest over decades.
EDF’s Vakisasai Ramany reinforced this view. He said nuclear success depends not on isolated project announcements but on consistent funding models, long-term regulatory clarity, and a clear demand outlook.
In a practical example of this shift, Sweden’s parliament passed a bill just after the conference to support new nuclear builds through structured financial backing—an action aligned with the conference’s call to action.
Ramany added that industry players must also step up, with a willingness to invest in long-term infrastructure and capacity expansion.
Marc Tannenbaum of the Electric Power Research Institute said early planning during construction is vital. Gathering the right information at the start, he explained, reduces future costs linked to operations, maintenance, and asset tracking.
A second key message was the importance of standardisation across the nuclear supply chain. Bilbao y León said simplifying reactor designs and streamlining regulations would improve efficiency and make investment more attractive.
Andrei Goicea from NuclearEurope said the sector needs to move toward shared supply chains and more consistent practices. Instead of working in isolation, companies should collaborate and align to reduce costs and build trust.
Connor Deehan of PA Consulting said nuclear development is no longer confined to single-country projects. It now involves a broad mix of players—governments, private companies, consumers, and suppliers—all part of a complex energy system.
To navigate this shift, speakers called for stronger coordination, clearer project pipelines, and international cooperation. Bilbao y León introduced the idea of “glocalisation”—balancing global collaboration with building local capacity.
Ramany closed with a warning: without a coordinated global effort and a resilient supply chain, long-term success will be difficult to achieve.