State Secretary Nykänen heads to Paris for ministerial meeting exploring how to boost nuclear power construction

State Secretary Nykänen heads to Paris for ministerial meeting exploring how to boost nuclear power construction

The OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the Government of South Korea will organise a ministerial meeting in Paris on 18-19 September 2025. The Roadmaps to New Nuclear meeting aims to strengthen cooperation between governments and industry to boost the role of nuclear power in providing clean energy and securing energy supply. Finland will be represented by Mika Nykänen, State Secretary to Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.

In Paris, State Secretary Mika Nykänen will have bilateral discussions with Korea's Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Ho-hyeon on the final disposal of nuclear waste, with Director of the Department of Nuclear Energy at Poland's Ministry of Industry Pawel Gajda on the development prospects of nuclear power, and with Deputy Secretary General of Biodiversity and Environmental Protection at the Estonian Ministry of Climate Antti Tooming on the current state of nuclear power in Estonia.

Nykänen will represent the viewpoints of the governments as the co-chair of a working group session that seeks to combine the perspectives of political decision-makers and the business sector with the aim of exploring the realities of nuclear power construction and supply chains. In many OECD countries, nuclear power plant projects have suffered from delays and cost overruns, which has revealed shortcomings in supply chains and project management. The session will discuss means for governments and the nuclear power sector to bolster supply chains, promote strategic partnerships and ensure nuclear power projects are completed on time and on budget.

The main themes of the Roadmaps to New Nuclear meeting will be financing, stronger supply chains and the availability of skilled labour. A considerable amount of capital on competitive terms will be required for new nuclear power projects to be successful. It is a positive sign that institutions like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development have recently begun to show interest in nuclear power projects.

One challenge facing the supply chains is the waning nuclear capacity in the OECD countries as the construction of new nuclear power plants has stalled in recent decades. International cooperation and industrial innovations in SMR (Small Modular Reactor) technology could make supply chains more flexible and improve the cost-effectiveness of projects. In addition, extensive investments in education and transfer of expertise will be necessary to enable the tripling of nuclear power capacity globally.

The meeting in Paris takes place at a time when nuclear power is experiencing an upward trend internationally: 31 countries are committed to tripling capacity by 2050, which will require additional construction of around 20 GWe annually from 2030 onwards. This development will be boosted by both large third-generation reactors and SMRs that will produce electricity, hydrogen and heat. A comprehensive reform of nuclear energy is also underway in Finland where one objective is to enable SMRs. Moreover, there are a number of ongoing development initiatives on SMR technology for generation of not only electricity but also district heating.

Inquiries:
Jaakko Louvanto, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 8274
Anita Silanterä, Senior Specialist, Permanent Delegation of Finland to the OECD, Paris, tel. +33 6 326 339 40