Leaders from across the European nuclear industry have published a manifesto laying out their priorities for the new European Commission. Nuclear energy, they say, plays a crucial role in providing the E.U. with secure and affordable energy.
Between June 6th and June 9th of this year, E.U. citizens voted to elect the 720 members of the next European Parliament. The new European Commission and its new President will be elected soon.
The manifesto mentions that the Nuclear Alliance of the E.U. Member States who have committed to expanding their use of nuclear energy has recognized that nuclear power could provide up to one hundred and fifty gigawatts of electricity capacity by 2050 in the E.U. Nuclear power currently provides about one hundred gigawatts. This commitment aligns with the Net Zero Nuclear initiative which was launched in November last year during COP2. It aims to triple the world's nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
More recently, this support for the sector has also been matched by the European Commission during the Nuclear Energy Summit in March. This coincides with the launch of the European Industrial Alliance for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as well as by the European Parliament's adoption of an Own Initiative Report on SMRs.
The manifesto says, “We have to build on this acknowledgement. For the EU to achieve a net-zero future for our society, it is important to fully support the pivotal role of nuclear energy alongside renewable energy sources. We encourage European institutions to develop an ambitious strategy to accelerate the decarbonization and electrification of Europe's industry. This strategy should acknowledge the significant role that nuclear energy plays in enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy.”
In the manifesto, nuclear industry leaders call on policymakers to do the following. Treat all net-zero technologies equally. Implement consistent and coherent policies which facilitate the deployment of nuclear power. Allow the nuclear industry to access EU funds and finance. Include the nuclear fuel cycle as an enabling activity under the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy. Ensure that low-carbon technologies are not discriminated against in taxation policies. Enable innovative nuclear power technologies to access EU funds beyond the Euratom program. Provide greater support for nuclear research. Support and invest in the development of a skilled nuclear workforce.
The manifesto goes on to say that “The challenges are significant but not impossible to overcome if the European institutions, EU Member States' governments and the whole nuclear community collaborate closely to meet them. The European nuclear industry is fully committed to fulfill its role. It is time to turn words into actions. Together we can make a difference.”
Yves Desbazeille is the director general of the nuclear trade body Nucleareurope. He said, “Nuclear is a clean and sustainable technology which is why it essential the next Commission treat nuclear on an equal footing with other fossil free technologies. Our expectation is that future policy proposals will focus on goals - decarbonization, competitiveness, energy sovereignty - rather than on specific technologies.”
Nuclear energy generates electricity in fourteen of the twenty-seven EU Member nations. It currently provides twenty-five percent of Europe's electricity and fifty percent of its low carbon electricity.