At the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on Tuesday 10 March, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, explicitly regretted the “choice” to reduce the share of nuclear power in Europe’s energy mix.
“While in 1990 one-third of Europe’s electricity came from nuclear, today it is only close to 15%,” she highlighted. Adding that: “I believe that it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power.”
In her view, the combination of nuclear and renewable energies is the solution for an efficient energy system, which also relies on “storage, flexibility and networks”.
In particular, she considers that new-generation nuclear reactors could become an “advanced technology, high added-value” European export.
Harmonising rules and supporting private investment. The European strategy for small modular reactors (SMR), presented on the same day (see other news), aims to make this technology operational in Europe by the early 2030s. It aims to create experimental regulatory environments to test these innovative technologies, harmonise rules across borders, and mobilise investment.
In particular, the President announced the creation of a €200 million guarantee to support private investment in innovative nuclear technologies in Europe, which will come from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
However, as she points out, the EU’s ambition is not limited to SMRs. “We also need to strengthen the nuclear ecosystem as a whole - from fuel to technology, from supply chains to skills,” she said, referring to another strategy presented the same day, dedicated to investment in clean energy (see other news).
On Tuesday, the Commission also presented its final Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC) on nuclear investment needs (see other news).
A vector for sovereignty and electrification. The second Nuclear Summit brought together more than 400 industry players in Boulogne-Billancourt.
The message from the French hosts was the urgent need to act in the face of the disruption to fossil fuel markets currently caused by the conflict in the Middle East. In their view, nuclear power is one of the ways of consolidating the EU’s strategic autonomy and becoming a more effective vehicle for electrification and decarbonisation.
“Wherever we supply nuclear-generated electricity, we are independent (...); wherever we electrify our mobility to drive electrically with decarbonised electricity on our soil, we increase our independence and reduce the consequences of geopolitical upheavals in our economies,” declared the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Recognition of the principle of “technological neutrality”. He also highlighted the challenges of artificial intelligence and new energy-intensive technologies.
On the legislative front, the President was delighted that nuclear power is now better integrated into European texts, such as the Industrial Accelerator Act, or the partial inclusion in the European taxonomy. However, he called for “a step further” in recognising the principle of “technological neutrality”, by including “the entire cycle”, from the manufacture of nuclear fuel to its reprocessing. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)