1:00pm Registration and Refreshments

1:30pm Opening Remarks from the Chair

1:35pm Welcome Address

1:40pm Welcome from Ocean Nuclear

Zhen Qiu, Chairman of the Board, Ocean Nuclear Group

1:45pm Panel: Making Nuclear Cost Competitive: An Investment Case for Nuclear

Nuclear power remains a complex proposition for investors. Proponents underline the vital role nuclear will need to play if the ambitious emissions reductions enshrined in the 2015 Paris climate agreement are to be met. Yet the falling costs of renewable power, combined with current low gas prices and concerns over costs overruns and delays on new build projects in US, France and Finland have deepened doubts about the economics of nuclear power. If nuclear is to attract the investment it needs to expand and renew the UK’s fleet, and secure its future role in the energy mix, it will need to be cost competitive with other alternative energy sources, and project developers will need to find ways to cut costs and manage the delays which are a principal barrier to new investment. Is the industry able to articulate an attractive business case for nuclear investment? How can nuclear become competitive with renewables? Is a nuclear cost premium justified on the basis of 24/7, reliable power? Will batteries resolve the intermittency challenge of renewables, reducing the need for peak plant nuclear and gas? What can project developers do to make the business case of nuclear more compelling? What are the strategies to address the risk perceptions of investors?

Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson , Managing Director, Nuclear Development , EDF

, Managing Director, Nuclear Development Robert Davies , Chief Operating Officer, CGN UK (China General Nuclear)

Angus McCrone , Chief Editor, Bloomberg New Energy Finance

, Yang Hanxin , Chief Scientist, Ocean Nuclear

, Lin Boqiang , Dean, China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy, Xiamen University ; Vice Chairman, China Energy Society

Moderator: Sylvia Pfeifer , Energy Correspondent, Financial Times

2:35pm The Role for Nuclear in a Global Context

King Lee, Director Harmony Programme, World Nuclear Association

2:50pm Panel: Preparing Nuclear for the New Energy Era: Addressing the Skills and Supply Chain Challenges

A robust supply chain and access to highly qualitied nuclear experts are crucial to the success of new build nuclear projects, and have been a key attribute of recent new build success stories. Yet the industry suffers from a long-standing skills shortage in both engineering and project management, and supply chain capabilities in the UK have been undermined by a decade and a half time gap when no new nuclear was built. Brexit carries its own challenges, bringing in its wake the potential of fuel supply disruptions, possible tariffs on products used in the construction of nuclear facilities and barriers to access to much needed nuclear experts from across the EU. Does the UK have the right project infrastructure in place for nuclear to succeed? What will be the impact of Brexit on the UK nuclear industry and on the investment case for nuclear?

Professor Stephen Pollock (Viscount Hanworth) , Member of EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee , House of Lords

, Member of EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee Tom Greatrex , CEO, Nuclear Industry Association

Moderator: Elaine Moore , Lex Deputy Editor, Financial Times

3:25pm Networking Coffee Break

3:45pm Panel: Unlocking Finance for New Nuclear

The future growth of the UK industry will depend on project developers’ ability to develop innovate, workable project structures and to access new sources of finance The balance sheets of governments and utilities are under pressure, and other traditional sources of finance to include ECA and corporate loans will not be sufficient to address the scale and finance needs of the multiple projects planned or envisaged. A number of innovative financing sources are currently being explored. Project finance, for instance, is considered the nirvana of nuclear financing, but the perceived complexity and the particular risks and liabilities associated with nuclear have acted as a barrier to uptake. The considerable capital of pension funds and insurers is another source, if this can be effectively harnessed. What are the new innovative finance and project models, and how well positioned is the industry to attract these new source of finance? What are the barriers to project finance for nuclear projects, and how can they be addressed? How can nuclear be made more bankable? How can institutional finance be harnessed? What are the potential risk mitigation solutions? What is the role for government - should they inject equity?

Vincent Zabielski , Senior Lawyer, Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw and Pittman

, Senior Lawyer, Alistair Ray , Chief Investment Officer, Dalmore Capital

Carol Gould , Managing Director , MUFG Bank

Xinye Zheng , Associate Dean, School of Economics and Chair, Energy Economics Department, Renmin University of China

, Nasser Al Nasseri , CEO , Barakah One Company

, Moderator: Elaine Moore , Lex Deputy Editor, Financial Times





4:35pm Panel: Potential and Prospects for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): Can the UK take a Lead?

The global race is on for the development and deployment of a new generation of small reactors which many claim hold the potential to resolve the cost challenges associated with large-scale nuclear. Hopes run high for the new technology which is cheaper and quicker to build and install with the potential for dispatchable power better able to align with a grid increasingly built around renewables. The UK is vying to play a leading role with initiatives to provide funding to support development. Are SMRs a solution to the impasse regarding high cost nuclear? Will SMRs become the norm for nuclear energy? How commercially and technologically viable are SMRs, and to what extent will miniaturisation slash costs? Can the UK lead in this new market? How will SMRs be financed?

Simon Irish , CEO, Terrestrial Energy

, CEO, Alan Woods , Director Strategy and Business Development – Nuclear, Rolls-Royce

Ian Scott , President and CTO , Moltex Energy

, Paul Dorfman, Senior Research Fellow , UCL Energy Institute, University College London

Moderator: Sylvia Pfeifer , Energy Correspondent, Financial Times





5:30pm Closing Keynote Address/Interview

5: 55pm Closing Remarks from the Conference Chair

6:00pm End of Conference