Nuclear energy is triggering many
debates - also among member states of the European Union. Still,
the bloc is looking at nuclear technology, partly in a bid to
achieve its climate goals. Dutch innovation aims at reusing
nuclear waste and a Franco-Italian cooperation wants to speed up
the decarbonisation of the emission-heavy steel industry.
"Nuclear technologies can play an important role in clean energy
transitions," said European Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen at the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit in March. The
summit had been set up by the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) and Belgium.
The German conservative pointed out that she was aware that
"there are different views" in the EU on nuclear power. She
added that "many countries are giving a fresh look to the
potential role that nuclear might play" in the wake of "the
global energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine". It
could contribute to climate goals, energy security and
stabilising energy prices, according to von der Leyen.
The projections of the International Energy Agency and the
European Commission for 2050 show that nuclear power will grow
and function as a complement to renewables which "will be the
backbone of EU power production by 2050", she said.
However, this energy source has declined both in the EU and in
the world: Across the planet it has gone from 18 percent of the
electricity "mix" in 1988 to nine percent today. In the EU, its
use is currently around 22 percent when in the 1990s it still
generated a third of Europe's electricity.
Von der Leyen positioned herself in favour of extending the life
of the nuclear plants in use "provided of course their safe
operation", as it is "one of the cheapest ways to secure clean
power at scale".
The European Council included nuclear energy among the strategic
technologies for climate neutrality and as a way to accelerate
the reduction of emissions it was incorporated in the
conclusions document of the last Climate Summit (COP28) - a
historic first.
Nuclear energy has been gaining space in the financial treatment
it receives in the EU, but it still does not enjoy the same
sympathies as renewables.
(Some) EU member states demand more money for nuclear energy
In March, the twelve EU member states grouped in the European
Nuclear Alliance demanded more financing for nuclear energy and
asked that financial institutions treat it the same as renewable
energy.
"All net-zero technologies including nuclear energy and value
chain should be leveraged, possibilities and benefits of
financing instruments such as support of the EIB [European
Investment Bank] and Innovation Fund will be explored to that
end," said the alliance's statement after the first Nuclear
Energy Summit.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Hungary, Netherlands,
Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Sweden
commit to "developing access to private and public financing,
and exploring the possibilities and benefits of European
financing instruments".
They point out as a specific objective "to support large-scale
reactors, SMR technologies and [the] associated European value
chain" with atomic energy, which requires enriched fuel and
radioactive waste management systems, among others.
The alliance launched in 2023 to support a source for generating
energy that EU member states Germany, Luxembourg, Spain or
Denmark are not in favour of.
In Germany, the last three nuclear power plants went offline in
April 2023 - but the calls for a return to nuclear energy are
growing louder.
In December 2023, the Spanish government approved the 7th
General Radioactive Waste Plan which establishes the
government's policy on the management of radioactive waste,
including spent nuclear fuel, and the dismantling and
decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It also established a
timetable for the closure of nuclear power plants between 2027
and 2035.
However, there are also opponents to the closure, for example
the president of Foro Nuclear, Ignacio Araluce. He said that the
plants "are necessary for the system" and that Spain "is being
left alone" in his idea of closing nuclear power plants.
EU support for the production of mini reactors
The European Commission actively supports the development of
small modular reactors, within a technological race in which the
EU lags behind China, the United States and Russia.
The European Industrial Alliance on SMR was launched last
February by the European Commission together with the
recommendation on the intermediate climate target for 2040,
underlining the potential of atomic energy among the low-carbon
technologies that can help the EU cut emissions. The initiative
brings together governments, industry players and stakeholders
seeking to accelerate the development of the sector.
Small modular reactors are nuclear reactors that are smaller in
both power and physical size compared to traditional
gigawatt-scale power plants.
Dutch innovation plans to reuse nuclear waste
Dutch start-up Thorizon will receive a ten million Euro grant
from the French government. With this, the Amsterdam-based
company wants to accelerate the development of a small nuclear
reactor that uses nuclear waste from regular power plants as
fuel. According to the company, one such plant could provide
clean energy to 250,000 households.
The new nuclear reactor should become more sustainable, cheaper
and safer than conventional nuclear reactors. "Our design is
unique in using replaceable cartridges in the reactor core. This
allows us to work with materials that do not need to withstand
reactor conditions for 50 or 100 years," explained Thorizon's
CEO Kiki Lauwers.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
