Agenda

Program Sponsor

Program

Registration (Open All Day)

Breakfast

Opening Remarks

Opening Keynote Speaker

Hon. Minister Stephen Crawford

Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement

Panel #1 - What Can AI Do For Nuclear?

This panel examines how artificial intelligence is already being applied, and where it realistically could be applied, to improve nuclear project delivery and operations. Drawing on perspectives from nuclear operators, technology providers, and policy and governance experts, the discussion will explore how AI can support schedule certainty, cost control, engineering confidence, predictive maintenance, and decision-making in safety-critical environments. The objective is not to promote speculative solutions, but to identify where AI can meaningfully reduce risk, improve performance, and address long-standing challenges that affect nuclear project finance ability and public confidence.​

Todd Lovell

Managing Director / Industry X - Capital Projects & Infrastructure, Accenture

Moderator

Laurent Boinot

Power & Utility Americas Leader, Microsoft

Steve Fernandes

Co-founder & Director, New Nuclear, Nuclear Promise X

Ahmer Rafiq

Managing Partner, XCIS AI

Patrick Desbiens

Digital Engineering Program Manager, Bruce Power

Coffee Break AM

Panel #2 - What Can Nuclear Do For AI?

As AI and data centres drive rapid growth in electricity demand, this panel flips the conversation to focus on what the digital economy requires from energy systems and where nuclear power uniquely fits. Panelists will discuss nuclear energy’s role in providing dependable, climate-aligned, long-term power at scale, as well as the relevance of nuclear’s mature safety culture, regulatory discipline, and public trust frameworks for governing complex, high-impact technologies like AI. The session aims to deepen understanding between the nuclear and AI sectors and clarify why energy reliability, governance, and social licence are central to the future of digital infrastructure.​

Jennifer Wong

National Power Generation Leader, Accenture

Moderator

Kirsten Saguil

Senior Manager, Strategy and Business Development, OPG

Ahab Abdel-Aziz

Partner & Global Director, Nuclear Power Generation, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP

Lisa McBride

Vice President, Country Leader GE Hitachi

Lunch Break

Lunch Keynote - What Nuclear and AI Can Do for the Planet and What We Need to Do to Enable This Potential?”

Raiford Smith

Global Head of Power and Energy, Google

Panel #3 - The Nuclear Financing Challenge: Is High-Tech Backed Nuclear Finance Changing the Script?

This panel confronts one of the most persistent barriers to nuclear deployment: financing. Bringing together private capital, public finance institutions, and nuclear delivery expertise, the discussion will examine why nuclear projects have struggled under traditional Western financing models and whether growing demand from AI and data centres could change risk allocation, investor appetite, or delivery discipline. The panel’s goal is to move beyond theory and clearly articulate the conditions required for nuclear to become financeable at scale recognizing both the limits of private capital and the continuing role of government in managing system-level risk.​

Milton Caplan

President at MZConsulting Inc

Moderator

Jay Surina

Managing Director, Pelican Energy Partners

Paul Harricks

Counsel - Gowling WLG

Eddie Saab

Founder & CEO, N of 1 Corp. & Senior Advisor, Gowling WLG

Tushar Handiekar

VP Structured and Project Finance, EDC

Carl Marcotte

SVP Marketing & Business Development, Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRéalis Company

Coffee Break PM

Panel #4 - Paths Forward (Closing Discussion)

The closing panel looks ahead to what must happen next to translate opportunity into implementation. Panelists from industry, utilities, innovation organizations, and AI infrastructure will discuss how cross-sector collaboration can be structured, what governance frameworks and “rules of the road” are needed, and where governments and regulators must provide clarity to enable responsible progress. Rather than seeking consensus on every issue, this discussion aims to identify practical next steps, shared priorities, and the planning that must begin now to align nuclear energy, AI, and data-centre growth with long-term public and economic objectives.​

Dave Reddy

Senior Vice President - Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Accenture

Moderator

Ivette Vera-Perez

President & CEO, OCNI

Kim Osborne Rodriguez

Senior Manager, Digital Strategy, OPG

Kathleen Kauth

Chief Operating Officer, Mantle Climate & iMasons

Closing Remarks

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