This year’s Nuclear Financing Summit found itself smack dab in the middle of the biggest snowstorm of the year. But despite the snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, leaders across energy, finance, and government gathered to discuss what’s next for nuclear energy.
We saw incredible momentum in 2025, with major private investments totaling more than $2 billion in the U.S. market. Big Tech continued its support for nuclear, with major companies committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050 and Google announcing it would fund the development of three nuclear power sites.
We also saw bold moves from U.S. governors, including Kathy Hochul’s call for one gigawatt of new nuclear capacity in New York.
This year’s Summit was focused on turning that momentum into execution. We heard from leaders not just in the U.S. but around the world, and the consensus was clear: we are closer than ever to unlocking deployment at unprecedented scale. For those who missed it, here’s a quick glimpse of what I was hearing:
Financiers Are All In
Jay Horine, Head of Global Banking SRI at JP Morgan, expressed strong enthusiasm for nuclear energy and confidence in the industry’s ability to bring new projects online. He highlighted nuclear energy as a strategic asset and part of JP Morgan’s recently announced $10 billion investment into industries critical for national security, grid reliability, and resilience. Horine underscored that “reliability is not a slogan.”
Customers Are Signing Record Offtake Agreements
Customers are forming new partnerships and signing record-setting offtake agreements with nuclear companies. James Krellenstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Alva Energy, emphasized the continued importance of power purchase agreements (PPAs). NextEra’s Lynsey Wenger, Vice President of Finance and Assistant Treasurer, agreed and highlighted that the PPA between Google and Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) was key to restarting the Duane Arnold plant.
States Want Nuclear for Reliability & Resilience
Sean Ewart, Deputy Secretary for Energy at the Office of the New York State Governor, stressed that New York is “open for nuclear business.” In fact, eight communities are already expressing interest in hosting projects. “The people want this,” he said, urging developers to “talk to the people who live around nuclear plants. They are the biggest believers.”
A Strong Workforce Is Essential
There is no deployment without a strong workforce. From construction and operations to the NRC and supply chains, workforce capacity is essential. Bechtel is working with the U.S. Government on workforce campaigns—Ahmet Tokpinar, Bechtel’s Principal Vice President and GM, Nuclear Power, explained that the goal is to attract, train, and retain new talent across the sector.
Additionally, the NRC is integrating artificial intelligence to enhance safety, efficiency, and the licensing process, allowing the agency to shift human capital to areas of greatest need.
This year’s financing summit was buzzing with eagerness and excitement for what’s next in nuclear energy and how to solve key challenges before it’s too late. The enthusiasm isn’t new, and it’s grown each year, but what’s changed is that all eyes are now on deployment.
We are seeing policy shifts, buy-in from major financial institutions, partnerships with new customers, including hyperscalers, and the modernization of the regulatory processes. We are on the edge of a breakthrough.
