On Friday, 13 June, the European Commission presented its assessment of the investment needs for development in the nuclear sector in the eighth Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC) – which will be the subject of a final publication by the end of the year, after the European Economic and Social Committee’s opinion has been received.
The European Commission’s communication will also be examined by Member States during the Energy Council meeting on 16 June (see other news).
According to the document, implementing Member States’ nuclear energy plans will require around €241 billion in investments until 2050 – both to extend the service life of existing reactors and to construct new large-scale reactors.
Additional funding will support small modular reactors (SMRs), advanced modular reactors (AMRs), microreactors, and the development of fusion.
According to a press release, the European Commission believes that nuclear energy remains essential for several EU countries so that they can achieve decarbonisation, attain energy security, and gain industrial competitiveness.
The European Commission also expects that in 2040, more than 90% of the EU’s electricity will come from decarbonised sources, “primarily renewables, complemented by nuclear energy”.
Based on national energy and climate plans, installed nuclear capacity for large-scale reactors could thus increase, according to a ‘base case’ scenario, from 98 GWe in 2025 to around 109 GWe by 2050 (long-term operation of the existing fleet as well as new builds).
Moreover, small modular reactors (SMRs) could end up supplementing this scenario and could provide between 17 GW and 53 GW of additional installed capacity.
“It is therefore important to maintain the EU’s industrial leadership in this sector. This nuclear illustrative programme will help drive Member States’ actions towards priority areas”, the European Commission explained in a press release.
It also stresses high standards with regard to safety and the management of radioactive waste.
The institution also emphasises that it is important that national regulatory authorities cooperate to help expedite licensing and that it is necessary to collaborate “with reliable partners” at the international level to ensure a stable and diversified fuel supply and avoid dependencies.
To see the communication: https://aeur.eu/f/hbz (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)