12/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - Roadmap up to 2050 - nuclear pitted against wind and sea power. Despite the expected abandonment of nuclear power by several EU member states following the accident last March at the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi reactor, Germany, Spain, Belgium and the European Commission have emphasised the importance of nuclear power in the long term and are anticipating the construction of 40 plants by 2030. According to the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, the energy roadmap up to 2050 (which will present different approaches for achieving the greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 80% to 95% by the middle of the century, in comparison to 1990 rates) includes the extension of the EU's nuclear power capacity to 40 new nuclear plants by 2030. It also envisages a support system similar to the one for green energy in Germany. Commissioner Günther Oettinger is expected to present the document on Tuesday, 13 December. (EH/transl.fl)