Podcast: Insuring the Nuclear future

This episode explores how next‑generation nuclear technologies, especially small modular reactors, are reshaping energy supply and creating new risks for insurers.

In this episode of our Emerging Risks podcast, host Neil Beresford is joined by Kate Fowler, Global Head of Nuclear at Willis Towers Watson, and Arkadiusz Krasnodębski, Partner at Clyde & Co in Warsaw, to explore the rapid re‑emergence of nuclear power as a critical response to rising energy demand, decarbonisation pressures, and growing energy security concerns.

The discussion focuses on the role of next‑generation nuclear technologies, particularly small modular reactors, and how they differ from traditional grid‑scale nuclear in terms of application, deployment speed, and risk profile. The panel examines where these technologies are most likely to be adopted, from data centres and heavy industry to national energy systems.

From a regulatory and legal perspective, the conversation highlights the challenges of approving new reactor designs across multiple jurisdictions, the slow pace of regulatory change, and the ongoing debate around liability limits and insurance requirements that may no longer align with smaller, lower‑risk technologies.

Together, the speakers consider how these developments could reshape risk accumulation, fleet exposure, and supply‑chain vulnerabilities, and what insurers should be watching as next‑generation nuclear moves closer to commercial reality.