On the occasion of the 2026 Nuclear Energy Summit (NES), organised by France in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), EDF announced the creation of FINABe (Financing and Investing in Nuclear - Advisory Board EDF), an advisory board dedicated to facilitating the financing of and investment in new nuclear projects globally. The board brings together leading experts from across the energy and finance ecosystems, including ABN AMRO Bank, BNP Paribas, Bpifrance Assurance Export, Crédit Agricole CIB, HSBC, La Caisse (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec), Royal Bank of Canada and SFIL.
Nuclear energy provides electricity that is competitive, sovereign, and low-carbon, making it a key lever for addressing today’s energy and climate challenges. According to the International Energy Agency’s prospective scenarios, global installed nuclear capacity could increase by 50% to 100% over the next 20 to 30 years, rising from around 400 GWe today to 600 - 1,000 GWe.
This momentum will require massive public- and private-sector investment. Drawing on its unique experience in delivering large and complex industrial projects, and as it advances the French and UK nuclear programmes while contributing to numerous projects worldwide - including through its subsidiaries Framatome and Arabelle Solutions -, EDF is well placed to help clients structure the bankable models needed to secure robust financing solutions for new nuclear projects.
Through a coordinated dialogue with leading financial experts, FINABe aims at identifying market expectations, promoting best practice sharing and contributing to the gradual development of robust financial mechanisms supporting investments in new nuclear projects, both for large-scale and small modular reactors (SMR). Vakis Ramany, Senior Vice President, International Nuclear Development at EDF, has been appointed Chair of FINABe.
Claude Laruelle, CFO at EDF declared: “For many countries considering new nuclear programmes, securing credible financing solutions is now as critical as selecting the right technology. Through FINABe, we seek to capitalise on our unique expertise and work hand-in-hand with leading financial institutions to craft robust financing frameworks and support the development of new nuclear capacities.”