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Wright Joins an IFRI Fireside Chat at the IEA, Feb. 17, 2026

February 17, 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · 0:56:24

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Energy Secretary Chris Wright joined a fireside chat hosted by IFRI at the International Energy Agency, in the Department of Energy’s upload of the February 17, 2026 conversation. The session opened with the U.S.-France relationship in the 250th anniversary year and the two countries’ shared nuclear ambitions, before ranging across the transatlantic energy relationship, grid build-out, and the nuclear renaissance Wright said the administration expects in the United States and around the world.

On nuclear waste, Wright said governors are competing to host disposal: through opt-in market mechanisms, he said, the United States will develop multiple long-term repositories for nuclear waste, because the country wants nuclear to grow. He acknowledged the atrophied industry will move slower and cost more in the short run, but argued that volume, innovation, and faster timelines will drive costs down. Wright praised France’s leadership on reprocessing and underground disposal, saying a visit to its facilities is high on his list.

Why it matters

The IFRI conversation is Wright’s nuclear case made to a European policy audience at the IEA: waste — the industry’s oldest political obstacle — reframed as a competition among willing states, with France held up as the model partner rather than the cautionary tale.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard watch: Secretary Wright’s nuclear-waste prediction at the IFRI chat on February 17, 2026 — multiple long-term U.S. repositories developed through opt-in market mechanisms, as he stated it. Flagged for the scoreboard editor; no entry is published from this page.

Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, “Secretary Wright Joins IFRI Fireside Chat at the IEA - February 17, 2026” (official upload, embedded above; conversation as delivered by Secretary Wright and the session hosts).