NEA and Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to co-host high-level conference on advancingnuclear new build

The Nuclear Energy Agency’s Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2025 conference, a high-level event bringing together government and industry leaders to advance nuclear new build, will be co-chaired by Kim Jung-Kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea, and William D. Magwood, IV, NEA Director-General.

The third edition of this event will be held on 18-19 September 2025 and focus on addressing the key challenges to ramping up nuclear energy while boosting economic growth and energy security.

NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV, said:

“Many countries have concluded that nuclear energy is critical to their futures in terms of both ensuring energy security and meeting their environmental goals. New markets are emerging; new customers are seeking solutions – from providing high temperature heat for industrial processes to powering data centres – and new nuclear reactor technologies are nearing commercial deployment to meet these needs. But delivering on this promise requires more than innovation. It demands action by governments and industry to prepare the way. The Roadmaps to New Nuclear conference provides a forum for key players to chart a path to delivering nuclear new build. I look forward to co-hosting the third edition of this solutions-oriented gathering with the government of Korea and working together with ministers, industry leaders and other stakeholders on shaping the future of nuclear energy.”

Kim Jung-Kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea, said:

“The Korean government is pursuing a balanced energy mix to achieve both carbon neutrality and energy security by utilising nuclear power as a key source of clean energy. Korea boasts a robust nuclear ecosystem covering the entire value chain – from design and construction to operation – and is committed to further strengthening this ecosystem through policies that will develop human capital and expand funding for investments. At the same time, we will increase investment in promising areas such as small modular reactors, including the development of Korea’s own reactor design and the establishment of nuclear foundries. Korea highly values the NEA Ministerial Meeting’s contribution to the advancement of the global nuclear industry and, as Chair of the upcoming third Ministerial Meeting, we will make every effort to ensure its successful convening.”

The commitment to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050 by a growing number of countries underscores the importance of an all-hands-on-deck approach when it comes to deploying low-carbon energy solutions. While nuclear new build has become a high priority in many NEA member countries, years of industrial inactivity and a lack of familiarity with nuclear construction pose significant challenges. Several key policy priorities were identified during the Roadmaps to New Nuclear conferences of 2023 and 2024; the 2025 edition will address the most pressing issues for the nuclear sector’s supply chain: from timely construction and skilled workforce development, to ensuring robust nuclear fuel supply and resilience.

Roadmaps to New Nuclear 2025 will also gather representatives from global financial institutions and private capital players to align the policies and financing models essential to the scaling up of nuclear energy wherever it is needed.

The wide-ranging conference programme will also feature sessions dedicated to the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), the role of artificial intelligence, the challenges and opportunities associated with the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle, the development of nuclear technologies for applications in space, the demand and supply of medical radioisotopes, as well as discussions on nuclear energy for emerging economies.

Event speakers and participants will be announced as they are confirmed.