A Global Strategy for Nuclear Energy Expansion

Executive Summary 

Nuclear energy can help address the pressing global need for reliable, affordable heat and power to fuel economic growth, while also delivering progress on climate commitments and energy security. But the world has not moved with sufficient conviction to achieve the full promise of nuclear energy—that would require a tenfold increase in annual deployment compared to current levels.

The Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI) is a collaborative effort of Clean Air Task Force (CATF), the EFI Foundation (EFIF), and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) to build a new nuclear energy ecosystem that can quickly and economically scale to more than 50 gigawatts (GW) of safe and secure nuclear energy per year by the 2030s. The team’s plan for revolutionizing how nuclear energy is constructed, financed, and regulated will advance climate goals, spark economic development, expand energy access, and ensure that nuclear technology is used for only peaceful purposes.

Over the next two years, NSI will embark on the first phase of this work in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the United States with an approach that emphasizes aggregated demand; multistakeholder risk-sharing; cohesive action by policymakers, the private sector, and civil society; accelerated deployment timelines; integrated supply chains; and strong nonproliferation and security practices. NSI plans to broaden its scope to support the expansion of nuclear energy in other regions, including Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia, in later phases.