As Europe works urgently toward climate neutrality and energy security, European Nuclear Energy 2026 (ENE26) will convene government, policymakers, regulators, utilities, technology innovators, decision-makers, market leaders, multilateral banks, contractors, developers, researchers, investors, and nuclear energy stakeholders to redefine nuclear energy’s value in enabling Europe’s net-zero future.
With nuclear energy excluded from most carbon market mechanisms today, the summit will focus on unlocking carbon credits and innovative financing models to scale up nuclear power – including fission, fusion and FNPPs.
How can carbon credit markets unlock the investment needed to scale nuclear energy for a net-zero Europe?
Held over 2 days, the summit will explore:
How to integrate nuclear into EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and voluntary markets
Designing a carbon credit framework for SMRs and Advanced Reactors
Leveraging World Bank, EIB and IMF climate finance to unlock new financial instruments
Using MRV, blockchain and digital tools to verify avoided emissions
New financial products: green bonds, blended finance, taxonomies and ESG metrics
Accelerate deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies — from SMRs to fusion
Government and Industry Specialists:
Madi Hilly, Partner, Radiant Energy Group, USA Nobuo Tanaka, Chair, Study Group on Next Generation Nuclear Energy Utilization, Canon Institute of Global Studies; Executive Director Emeritus, The International Agency (IEA), Japan Dario Marinez, Economist, Nuclear Alternative Project, Puerto Rico Naomi Hirose, Chairman, Japan Energy Association; Former CEO, TEPCO, Japan Cristina Talacko, CEO, Coalition for Conservation, Australia Jeff Donovan, Communication Lead, Nuclear Energy, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Conference Programme
Day 1, Wednesday, 25th February 2026
Policy, Carbon Markets & Financing Nuclear
8:00
Registration & Networking Coffee
9:00
Chairman’s Opening Address
9:10
Opening Keynote Address Europe’s Net Zero Pathway: Energy Security, Carbon Markets & Nuclear’s Role
9:40
Keynote Address Madi Hilly, Partner, Radiant Energy Group
10:40
Ministerial Panel Energy Sovereignty& Net Zero: The Nuclear Dimension in Europe
Invited: Ministers from France, Finland, UK, Poland, Estonia
11:00
Morning Coffee & Networking
11:30
Interactive Panel Session Collaboration between Europe and Asia in Advanced Nuclear
Moderator: Nobuo Tanaka,
Chair, Study Group on Next Generation Nuclear Energy Utilization, Canon Institute of Global Studies; Executive Director Emeritus, The International Agency (IEA)
EU ETS reform, voluntary carbon markets, Article 6 opportunities
3:30
Networking Afternoon Tea
4:00
Case Study Session Blended Finance in Action: SMR Deployment Lessons Learned
4:30
Financing Microreactors and SMRs in Puerto Rico: Drawing on U.S. and European Models State-of-the-Art Discussion: U.S. - Based Framework
Government Support: U.S. DOE demonstration funding, DoD direct procurement of micro reactors, and real property rights enabling deployment on federal lands provide strong federal backing.
Private Sector Support: Financing via project sponsors, industrial partners, and vendors using corporate ("on balance sheet") resources, combined with debt financing from municipal utilities, project bonds, and early-stage project finance structures.
Alternative Discussion: EU-Based Framework
Risk-Sharing Mechanisms: European models—state-backed ownership, Contracts for Difference (CfD), and Regulated Asset Base (RAB)—offer predictable revenues and lowercapital costs. Puerto Rico could replicate these benefits through federally backed PPAs, resilience-linked tariffs, and U.S. loan guarantees.
Sustainable Finance & Partnerships: The EU's green taxonomy and multinational nuclearconsortia demonstrate how to mobilize institutional capital. Puerto Rico cansimilarly position SMRs as clean, resilient infrastructure, attracting greenbonds, ESG funds, and vendor partnerships.
Applicability to Puerto Rico
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) or Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) supported by federal guarantees, local utilities, and private developers represent the most viable financing architecture.
SMRs in Puerto Rico can be positioned not only as a clean energy source but also as a resilience solution for critical infrastructure, enhancing energy security and aligning with both U.S. federal incentives and international sustainable finance trends.
DarioMarinez, Economist, Nuclear Alternative Project, Puerto Rico
5:00
Fireside Chat
Beyond Regulation: Stakeholder Engagement and Social License as the Decisive Factors in Nuclear's Future
Nuclear projects rise or fall not only on their technical and regulatory merits, but on the far more fragile terrain of public trust. Across Europe, too many initiatives have underestimated the importance of stakeholder engagement (SE) and communications, treating social license as an afterthought. Yet without legitimacy in the eyes of citizens, communities, and policymakers, even the most promising technologies — from SMRs and fusion pilots to floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) — cannot scale.
This abstract argues for a reset: putting SE and communications at the core of nuclear deployment strategies. We explore novel approaches that go beyond traditional outreach, positioning social license as the indispensable "license to operate."
Social license as investment risk: Why neglecting SE and communications inflates project costs, delays timelines, and erodes investor confidence.
Narrative strategies: Tools to counter misinformation, build transparency, and create durable trust with local communities and stakeholders.
Policy alignment: How governments and multilaterals can integrate social license metrics into nuclear financing frameworks.
Next frontiers: Emerging methods, from data-driven sentiment analysis to participatory engagement platforms, that could reshape how legitimacy is earned.
Expected outcomes for ENE26: A roadmap for embedding SE and communications into nuclear strategy; practical models for building legitimacy alongside regulatory approval; and options for bridging the "trust gap" that currently holds back Europe's nuclear renaissance.
Cristina Talacko, CEO, Coalition for Conservation, Australia
Jeff Donovan, Communication Lead, Nuclear Energy, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
5:45
End of Day 1 followed by Networking Evening Reception
Day 2,Thursday, 26th February 2026
Technology, Innovation & Regional Cooperation
8:00
Registration & Networking Coffee
9:00
Chairman’s Opening Address
9:10
Innovation Panel SMRs, Fusion & Floating Nuclear Power Plants: Europe's Next Frontier
10:30
Networking Morning Coffee
11:00
Technology Spotlight Digital MRV Tools: Blockchain, AI & Carbon Credit Verification
Regional Roundtable Nordic, Baltic & Central European Cooperation on Nuclear & Carbon Credits
1:00
Networking Lunch
2:00
Designing a Nuclear-Specific Carbon Credit Framework
2:30
Financing First-of-a-Kind Projects: Lessons from Infrastructure
3:30
Networking Afternoon Tea
4:00
The ENE26 Declaration: Carbon Credits, Finance & Innovation for Europe's Net Zero Future
5:00
Closing Keynote & Next Summit Announcement
Optional Post Summit Technical Site Visit – Friday, 27th February 2026 (max 20 participants)
Details Soon
Panel of Industry Specialists:
Nobuo Tanaka
Chair, Study Group on Next Generation Nuclear Energy Utilization, Canon Institute of Global Studies;
Executive Director Emeritus, The International Agency (IEA), Japan
Nobuo Tanaka is former Chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He is the chairman of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF). He is Distinguished Fellow at Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) and Visiting Professor at Graduate School of Public Policy of the University of Tokyo. As Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2007 to 2011, he initiated a collective release of oil stocks in June 2011. He also played a crucial and personal role in strengthening of ties with major non-Member energy players, including China and India.
He began his career in 1973 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) after graduating the University of Tokyo, and has served in a number of high-ranking positions, including DirectorGeneral of the Multilateral Trade System Department. He was deeply engaged in bilateral trade issues with the US as Minister for Industry, Trade and Energy at the Embassy of Japan, Washington DC. He served twice as Director for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) of the Paris-based international organization, OECD.
Naomi Hirose Chairman, Japan Energy Association; Former CEO, TEPCO, Japan Naomi Hirose is the former President and CEO of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), where he served for over 40 years before he left in 2021. He currently serves as Chair of the Japan Energy Association and Vice Chair of the World Energy Council since 2022.
Hirose joined TEPCO in 1976 and held various management positions from 1992 to 2005, including roles in corporate planning, sales, marketing and customer relations.
Following the 2011 Fukushima Accident, he played a crucial role in establishing and implementing the nuclear damage compensation system. As CEO from 2012, Hirose led TEPCO through a series of complex challenges, including the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, managing accident compensation, spearheading the revitalization of Fukushima and keeping TEPCO competitive in the deregulated Japan's electric market.
Mr. Hirose holds a B.A. in Sociology from Hitotsubashi University (1976) and an MBA from Yale School of Management (1983).
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