The 6th edition of the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), the world's largest civil nuclear exhibition, came to a close on November 6th after three exciting days. The event once again attracted a large international audience, with 25 countries represented in national pavilions and more than 80 nationalities represented, bringing together the main players in the global civil nuclear industry at the Villepinte Exhibition Centre.

The event, organised by RX France on behalf of the French Nuclear Energy Industry Group (GIFEN), welcomed more than 1,070 exhibitors and 36,000 participants over three days from 4 to 6 November 2025, compared to 780 and 23,600 in 2023, representing an increase in attendance of more than 50% compared to the previous edition.

"Once again, WNE delivered on its promises: exhibitors and visitors were able to hold as many, if not more, meetings and sign as many contracts in three days as they would have in six months. The wealth and diversity of our exhibitors enable us to represent the entire industry, but this 2025 edition was also an opportunity to showcase other applications of nuclear energy, with our new Beyond Electricity Expo, an immersive space at the entrance to the exhibition."  said Sylvie Bermann, President of WNE.

"I would like to thank all the distinguished guests, both French and international, who honoured us with their presence. Each of them expressed their support for our industry, emphasising that WNE brings together those who are driving decarbonisation, innovation, and economic growth."

A 2025 edition that lives up to its ambitions

In a context where the IAEA's trajectory projects a near tripling of nuclear capacity by 2050, and amid current events marked by the climate emergency and the evolution of energy systems, WNE 2025 has structured this edition around two major themes:

Nuclear today and tomorrow : ways to accelerate programmes, financing strategies, standardisation, artificial intelligence, fusion, new generations of reactors and supply chain.

Electricity & Beyond : nuclear applications beyond electricity (medicine, agriculture, space, heat, hydrogen, desalination).

During the three days of the exhibition, a series of internationally renowned speakers joined Sylvie Bermann, French Ambassador and President of WNE, to discuss these topics and consolidate the momentum of the civil nuclear industry. Among them were:

Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty

Monique Barbut, Minister for Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Negotiations on Climate and Nature for France

Sébastien Martin, Minister of Industry

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary

Sharon S. Garin, Secretary of Energy, Philippines

Wojciech Wrochna, Secretary of State, Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Deputy Minister of Energy, Poland

Stephen Lecce, Minister of Energy and Mines; Provincial Member of Parliament (MPP) for King–Vaughan, Government of Ontario

Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA

Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA

Dr Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the WNA

Dr Lassina Zerbo, President of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Commission, Energy Advisor, Strategy and Policy Council (Office of the President)

Xavier Ursat, President of GIFEN

The depth of these exchanges is helping to build a stronger, more coherent global safety framework, while reaffirming France’s leadership in value chain expertise and energy sovereignty.

Highlights and new features of the 2025 edition

The 6th edition of WNE marks a decisive turning point in showcasing the applications of civil nuclear energy, with the introduction, for the first time, of the Beyond Electricity Expo (BEE), a dedicated space highlighting nuclear applications beyond power generation. BEE showcased more than 20 international projects, illustrating the diversity and transformative potential of these technologies across six key areas:

Nuclear medicine

Agriculture and food security

Space exploration

Low-carbon hydrogen

Urban and industrial heat

Large-scale desalination

Developed with the scientific support of the CEA and the IAEA, and backed by major sponsors (Calogena, Lemer Pax, NuviaTech, Orano Med, Simopt, Tractebel, and Veolia), BEE highlighted the industry’s ability to provide concrete solutions to global challenges in health, water access, and the low-carbon economy.

Among the new features of the 2025 edition, the exhibition also introduced a Pop-Up Bookstore, designed to broaden visitors’ perspectives and allow them to discover and take home landmark publications authored by leading voices in the nuclear sector.

An innovative industry ready to meet tomorrow’s challenges

The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship was also reflected on the ground through the WNE Startup Program and its dedicated Startup Village, which brought together 30 startups. Among them, 20 (10 French and 10 international) were selected by the Startup Program jury as the most innovative of this edition.

Demonstrating its growing impact, 11 startups from the 2023 Startup Program returned this year as exhibitors within the France Pavilion for the 2025 edition.

This year, the WNE Innovation Awards received 110 applications from around the world, a 40% increase in international participation and a 15% rise in the total number of candidate companies. Eight winners were recognised across the four award categories:

Improving the performance of nuclear facilities and their long-term operation (LTO)

Large groups & mid-sized companies: EDF (France)

SMEs & start-ups: CORE Energy Systems (India)

Contributing to more adaptive solutions to emerging challenges

Large groups & mid-sized companies: Westinghouse Electric (USA)

SMEs & start-ups: GraphiCore (Italy)

Optimising construction costs and project timelines

Large groups & mid-sized companies: AIC (Poland)

SMEs & start-ups: Spaciotempo (France)

Innovating beyond electricity (medicine, agriculture, propulsion, heat, hydrogen, desalination)

Large groups & mid-sized companies: Framatome (France)

SMEs & start-ups: Calogena (France)

The Job & Training Area welcomed more than 1,250 students and job seekers over the three days of the exhibition, offering them the opportunity to learn about the sector’s needs

and challenges through testimonials, career pathways, and dedicated networking sessions. The goal: to support the growth of an industry set to create 100,000 new jobs in France over the next decade, while integrating new skills linked to SMRs/AMRs, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and emerging applications.

To relive the highlights of the exhibition and access the replays of conferences and round tables, visit us online at:

www.world-nuclear-exhibition.com

See you at the next edition of WNE, from 7 to 9 December 2027 in Paris.

WNE Press contact : Agence Proches

Mélanie Farge - +33 7 63 13 42 10 / Olga Tess - +33 6 73 46 90 76 teamwne@agenceproches.com

About GIFEN - www.gifen.fr

GIFEN is the unique professional trade union from the french nuclear industry gathering Prime contractors, Big companies, Midcaps, SMEs, VSEs and associations covering all types of industrial activities and all areas of civil nuclear power. Gathering approximately 500 members, the objective of GIFEN is to build with its partners the French nuclear industry of tomorrow. GIFEN also aims to promote and develop international relations between the world players in the civil nuclear industry. To achieve this purpose, GIFEN believes in the WNE (World Nuclear Exhibition) and as owner GIFEN intends to develop it.

About RX - www.rxglobal.fr

RX is in the business of building businesses for individuals, communities and organisations. We elevate the power of face-to-face events by combining data and digital products to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 400 events in 22 countries across 43 industry sectors. RX France manages a portfolio of world-class, French, and international face-to-face, virtual and hybrid events covering 15 industry sectors including MIPIM, MAPIC, Batimat, Pollutec, EquipHotel, SITL, IFTM Top Resa, MIPCOM, MIPTV, Paris Photo, Maison&Objet*… and many more. RX France’s events take place in France, China, Italy, Mexico, and the United States. RX is passionate about making a positive impact on society and is fully committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.rxglobal.com

*Organized by Safi, a subsidiary of RX France and Ateliers d'Art de France