European Nuclear Energy | Stockholm 2026

european economics at European Nuclear Energy 2026

The european economics team attended European Nuclear Energy 2026 (ENE26) in Stockholm.

ENE26 brought together public decision-makers, industry leaders, investors and technical experts around a central issue for Europe: the role of nuclear energy in achieving climate neutrality and strengthening energy security.

The 2026 edition placed particular emphasis on financing mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and structuring public instruments for large-scale nuclear projects, in a context of strengthening European industrial policies.

A strong track record in IPCEIs and State aid

Since 2009, european economics has supported strategic industrial projects across Europe.

At ENE26, we highlighted several key figures:

• €43 billion in public funding secured and 250 projects supported overall
• €16 billion secured across 11 IPCEIs in 13 Member States
• 100% success rate in State aid notifications to the European Commission in recent IPCEIs

This experience enables us to support projects across the entire value chain, from initial structuring through to the effective securing of public funding.

IPCEI Nuclear: a structuring European opportunity

One of the central topics of this edition was the future IPCEI on innovative nuclear technologies.

This IPCEI Nuclear has entered the national expressions of interest phase following its endorsement by 13 Member States in April 2025, with the support of the European Commission’s Design Support Hub.

Its scope notably covers:

• SMRs and advanced reactors
• the fuel cycle
• the nuclear supply chain
• fusion
• medical isotopes

The timeline presented in Stockholm confirms an acceleration:

• Spring 2026: calls for expressions of interest
• Summer 2026: national evaluations
• Autumn 2026: European matchmaking
• From June 2027: first funding perspectives

For project promoters, this stage provides a key opportunity for early anticipation and strategic preparation.

Key interventions

In his keynote, our President and Founder Marc ISABELLE highlighted a central point: State aid remains more decisive than carbon market mechanisms in making nuclear projects financially viable.

He also recalled the specific role of IPCEIs:

• an instrument dedicated to strategic European projects
• integrated and cross-border projects
• aid intensity that can reach up to 100% of eligible costs

Two key success factors were emphasised:

• alignment between project design and the applicable State aid framework
• coordination between companies, Member States and the European Commission

Beyond these principles, experience shows that the quality of initial project structuring is critical to securing funding and limiting risks during the notification phase.

Marc further expanded on these topics during the Finance panel discussion, and european economics also hosted and participated in the networking reception.

Conclusion: a decisive structuring phase

ENE26 confirms a significant shift: the key issue is no longer only the role of nuclear energy, but the bankability of projects.

The IPCEI Nuclear represents a major strategic opportunity for the entire European nuclear value chain, from R&D (from TRL4-5) to First Industrial Deployment (FID, TRL8).

This dynamic particularly concerns projects meeting the core IPCEI criteria:

• breakthrough innovation beyond the state of the art
• justification of public support (market failures)
• European dimension and cross-border collaboration
• spillover effects for the ecosystem
• compliance with competition rules

In this context, the coming months will be decisive for stakeholders seeking to position themselves, both strategically and in operational execution.

Would you like to assess the public funding potential of your project in the nuclear sector? Contact us to arrange a meeting.