The global revival of nuclear energy – 2025 edition

This third edition of the Sfen’s monitoring report on the global revival of nuclear energy confirms that 2025 marks a new milestone: the phase of concrete implementation. After several years of announcements, the revival is now reflected in figures and tangible achievements. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global nuclear investment has increased by 50% over five years, reaching more than USD 70 billion. The year also marked the historic return of the World Bank and the European Investment Bank to the financing of nuclear projects, signalling a strong institutional re-engagement.

This edition highlights the major trends shaping this global revival: the acceleration of new reactor programmes, the rise of the European nuclear industry, the rapid expansion of the small modular reactor (SMR) market, and the affirmation of nuclear energy as a strategic asset for industrial and energy sovereignty.

Nuclear energy, an industrial and energy driver of the 21st century

While energy security and decarbonisation were the initial drivers of the nuclear revival, 2025 sees the emergence of a new priority: industrial sovereignty. Europe is now placing nuclear energy at the heart of its competitiveness strategy, while the United States is making it a cornerstone of its energy policy to support the digital revolution and the growing needs of data centres and artificial intelligence.

Unprecedented innovation and investment

More than 120 SMR designs are currently identified worldwide, and several countries – including the United Kingdom, Canada and France – have reached decisive milestones towards their deployment. The industry is also reinventing itself around nuclear heat applications, fusion, and new financing mechanisms tailored to the long-term nature of nuclear projects.

A sustained global momentum

From Canada to China, from Europe to Africa, nuclear programmes are multiplying and becoming increasingly institutionalised. This global mobilisation illustrates a historic turning point: nuclear energy is now firmly established as a core component of low-carbon transition strategies, as well as a key instrument of competitiveness and energy independence.