WASHINGTON, D.C. Today the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) released a new report, “ESG Frameworks and Advanced Nuclear Energy.” This new publication provides an introduction to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks and how they may affect advanced nuclear energy technologies and projects. It includes potential actions the nuclear industry and financial community should consider to promote consistent analytical treatment of nuclear energy within ESG frameworks and efficient access to capital for nuclear investments.
NIA Executive Director Judi Greenwald provided the following statement on the relevance of this work to ongoing efforts to foster greater investment in advanced nuclear energy technologies:
“The underlying objective of ESG frameworks is to create interest in potential investments with positive ESG attributes, therefore improving access to and decreasing the cost of capital for those investments. Nuclear energy technologies are particularly affected by the inconsistent treatment of some frameworks regarding the ESG attributes of energy technologies.”
“With consistent, unbiased, and analytical frameworks, advanced nuclear energy would be evaluated as a zero-carbon energy source and potentially be treated similarly to other such sources. However, ESG frameworks have diverse origins, and some retain outdated or arbitrary approaches that exclude nuclear energy. As frameworks are standardized and embedded in policy, if their flaws are not addressed, advanced nuclear energy could be left at a disadvantage in terms of access to capital.”
To read the report, visit the NIA website here: ESG Frameworks and Advanced Nuclear Energy
About NIA
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) is a non-profit think-and-do-tank working to enable nuclear power as a global solution to mitigate climate change. Through policy analysis, research, and education, we are catalyzing the next era of nuclear energy. Our organization is funded primarily through charitable grants and philanthropic donations from climate-concerned individuals and organizations.