Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE

تحت رعاية صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن زايد آل نهيان، رئيس دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة

Supported by

Jennifer Gnana

Assistant Business Editor

The National

Jennifer1
Jennifer1

Jennifer Gnana is The National’s Assistant Business Editor - Digital. She is a senior energy journalist and political economy expert with around 13 years of experience reporting from across the Middle East. She has covered Saudi & UAE oil policy, OPEC, sovereign wealth strategies, and energy transition developments at the highest levels, interviewing global energy CEOs and Gulf policymakers for outlets including, S&P Global Commodity Insights, Al-Monitor and Middle East Economic Digest.

Session Overview
Thursday, 6 November
11:00
Decarbonisation ICC Hall B 11:00 - 11:40
Maximising nuclear's potential in today's energy industry

Nuclear energy is regaining global relevance as countries seek pragmatic, scalable, low-carbon solutions to deliver the energy the world needs in the most cost- and carbon-efficient way possible. With renewed investment in advanced fission, small modular reactors (SMRs), and early-stage fusion, nuclear is positioning itself as a dependable complement to renewables and a key enabler of energy security. SMRs are gaining momentum for their ability to deliver consistent baseload power and serve industrial energy needs. Fusion is also attracting significant funding from both public and private sources, fuelling long-term optimism despite commercial deployment being at least a decade away. Despite these milestones, advanced nuclear faces persistent challenges - from licensing complexity and financing hurdles to supply chain constraints and the need for reliable offtake agreements. As electricity demand continues to rise - driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) across all sectors and the electrification of heavy industry - nuclear technologies offer a resilient pathway to low-emission energy. Realising their full potential will require collaboration across regulators, energy providers, and industry leaders to accelerate market readiness and integration into a transforming energy system.

Attendee Insights:

Hear how operators, technology developers, and policymakers are navigating the resurgence of nuclear, exploring the role of SMRs and fusion in securing low-emission energy while addressing the regulatory, financial, and infrastructure barriers to scale.

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