Agenda
Program Sponsor
Program
Registration (Open All Day)
- 7:00 AM - 14:00 PM
Breakfast
- 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
- 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Opening Keynote Speaker
- 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
Hon. Minister Stephen Crawford
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement
Hon. Minister Stephen Crawford
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement
Panel #1 - What Can AI Do For Nuclear?
- 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
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
Laurent Boinot
Power & Utility Americas Leader, Microsoft
Laurent Boinot
Power & Utility Americas Leader, Microsoft
Steve Fernandes
Co-founder & Director, New Nuclear, Nuclear Promise X
Steve Fernandes
Co-founder & Director, New Nuclear, Nuclear Promise X
Ahmer Rafiq
Managing Partner, XCIS AI
Ahmer Rafiq
Managing Partner, XCIS AI
Patrick Desbiens
Digital Engineering Program Manager, Bruce Power
Patrick Desbiens
Digital Engineering Program Manager, Bruce Power
Coffee Break AM
- 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Panel #2 - What Can Nuclear Do For AI?
- 11:00AM - 12:00 PM
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
Kirsten Saguil
Senior Manager, Strategy and Business Development, OPG
Kirsten Saguil
Senior Manager, Strategy and Business Development, OPG
Ahab Abdel-Aziz
Partner & Global Director, Nuclear Power Generation, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP
Ahab Abdel-Aziz
Partner & Global Director, Nuclear Power Generation, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP
Lisa McBride
Vice President, Country Leader GE Hitachi
Lisa McBride
Vice President, Country Leader GE Hitachi
Lunch Break
- 12:00 PM - 13:00 PM
Lunch Keynote - What Nuclear and AI Can Do for the Planet and What We Need to Do to Enable This Potential?”
- 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM
Raiford Smith
Global Head of Power and Energy, Google
Raiford Smith
Global Head of Power and Energy, Google
Panel #3 - The Nuclear Financing Challenge: Is High-Tech Backed Nuclear Finance Changing the Script?
- 13:00 PM - 14:15 PM
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
Jay Surina
Managing Director, Pelican Energy Partners
Jay Surina
Managing Director, Pelican Energy Partners
Paul Harricks
Counsel - Gowling WLG
Paul Harricks
Counsel - Gowling WLG
Eddie Saab
Founder & CEO, N of 1 Corp. & Senior Advisor, Gowling WLG
Eddie Saab
Founder & CEO, N of 1 Corp. & Senior Advisor, Gowling WLG
Tushar Handiekar
VP Structured and Project Finance, EDC
Tushar Handiekar
VP Structured and Project Finance, EDC
Carl Marcotte
SVP Marketing & Business Development, Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRéalis Company
Carl Marcotte
SVP Marketing & Business Development, Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRéalis Company
Coffee Break PM
- 14:15 PM - 14:45 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.
- 14:45 PM - 15:45 PM
Dave Reddy
Senior Vice President - Infrastructure and Capital Projects, Accenture
Ivette Vera-Perez
President & CEO, OCNI
Ivette Vera-Perez
President & CEO, OCNI
Kim Osborne Rodriguez
Senior Manager, Digital Strategy, OPG
Kim Osborne Rodriguez
Senior Manager, Digital Strategy, OPG
Kathleen Kauth
Chief Operating Officer, Mantle Climate & iMasons
Kathleen Kauth
Chief Operating Officer, Mantle Climate & iMasons
Closing Remarks
- 15:45 PM - 16:00 PM
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