V11 Seminar Series | Financing the Nuclear Energy Buildout

​Zoom like for those who can’t make it in person:

​https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5735816509?pwd=PUKpWolJ5KPSP99OwKSbqlyhzbMoPX.1

​Description:

​Everyone agrees the AI buildout needs firm power to succeed, and everyone's favorite answer is nuclear. So why can't a Western Small Modular Reactor (SMR) reach a final investment decision without a government backstop? Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta have signed gigawatts of nuclear offtakes, so who here ends up holding the construction risk that has often killed nuclear projects in the past? And if first of a kind nuclear plants far exceed the upfront cost of gas, what exactly are the billions flowing into the nuclear renaissance buying?

​If you're financing the AI buildout, building a reactor company, or trying to buy firm power this decade, this seminar is for you. In this talk we will illustrate the nuclear capital stack ranging from:

• ​What hyperscaler offtakes do and don't derisk,

• ​How DOE loan authority and rate-base recovery work,

• ​Where export credit and development finance fit into the nuclear fuel supply chain

• ​Why the cheapest and fastest nuclear megawatts in America are uprates at existing plants as opposed to new builds

​Term sheets, PPAs, and offtakes over vibes, who holds the risk during cost overruns, where the returns sit, and what a fundable nuclear project looks like in 2026.

​The seminar will include a 45 minute talk followed by 15-30 minutes of open Q&A and discussion.

​About the V11 Seminar Series:
​The V11 Seminar Series is a new monthly series where people give talks on subjects they know deeply. Topics range from theoretical AI research to philosophy of science and everything in between — the more niche, the better. Stay tuned for more.