Report Argues Against Public Bank Financing for Nuclear Power Due to Economic Risks

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:40:00 +0200

A new report titled 'Debt, Delays, Dependencies' published in April 2026 by Urgewald and Ecodefense argues strongly against public banks and development institutions like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank providing financial support for new nuclear power projects. Authored by experts including Prof. Claudia Kemfert, Prof. Steve Thomas, Prof. M.V. Ramana, and others, the document compiles science-based arguments highlighting the economic pitfalls of nuclear energy. Key issues include massive construction delays often spanning decades, severe cost overruns that exceed initial budgets, and the creation of long-term dependencies on foreign fuel suppliers and technology providers. The authors contend that these projects redirect scarce public resources away from renewable energy technologies that are proven to be cheaper, faster to deploy, and more effective at addressing climate change. Nuclear power also generates long-lived radioactive waste, posing environmental and financial bu