Nuclear energy stocktake: Heading into COP29, finance lags behind ambitions

The document argues that while there is growing political and private sector momentum to expand nuclear energy, a massive financing gap persists. It highlights that only 2.5% of annual clean energy investment currently goes to new nuclear capacity, driven by a 'nuclear risk premium' and long development timelines. The authors call for innovative financing mechanisms and government-led risk reduction to unlock the trillions of dollars required to meet the Net-Zero Nuclear Initiative goals.

• To achieve the goal of tripling nuclear energy capacity by 2050, an investment of between 3 to 9 trillion dollars is required, which equates to approximately $250 billion annually.
• Current investment in new nuclear capacity is significantly lower than other clean energy sources; the IAEA estimates that only $50 billion, or 2.5% of the $2 trillion annual clean energy investment, is allocated to new nuclear capacity.

APA

Qvist, M., & Stearns, D. (2024). Nuclear energy stocktake: Heading into COP29, finance lags behind ambitions. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2024/11/nuclear-energy-stocktake-heading-into-cop29-finance-lags-behind-ambitions/

Chicago

Qvist, Malwina, and David Stearns. Nuclear energy stocktake: Heading into COP29, finance lags behind ambitions. Clean Air Task Force, 2024. https://www.catf.us/2024/11/nuclear-energy-stocktake-heading-into-cop29-finance-lags-behind-ambitions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Qvist |first1=Malwina |last2=Stearns |first2=David |title=Nuclear energy stocktake: Heading into COP29, finance lags behind ambitions |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=8 November 2024 |url=https://www.catf.us/2024/11/nuclear-energy-stocktake-heading-into-cop29-finance-lags-behind-ambitions/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{qvist2024nuclear, author = {Qvist, Malwina and Stearns, David}, title = {{Nuclear energy stocktake: Heading into COP29, finance lags behind ambitions}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.catf.us/2024/11/nuclear-energy-stocktake-heading-into-cop29-finance-lags-behind-ambitions/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }