Call to include nuclear in Europe's affordable energy plan
The EU Nuclear Alliance has said the European Commission must "be ambitious and put forward a comprehensive strategy in the Affordable Energy Action Plan that fully integrates the need for both renewables, baseload and dispatchable generation capacities", including nuclear.
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The European Commission says the Affordable Energy Action Plan will set out concrete short-term measures to deliver on competitiveness, affordability, security and sustainability. The plan aims to "deliver a fast and firm response that lowers energy costs in the immediate term and to future-proof the energy system, attract investments in a simplified environment, and ensure delivery". The Commission is preparing to present the plan on 26 February.
The EU Nuclear Alliance, representing 11 European countries, met with the Commission on 18 February to discuss the plan. Following the meeting, the Alliance issued a declaration.
The statement notes "the benefits of nuclear power plants go beyond the borders of Member States which opt for nuclear energy". It says low-carbon baseload energies, such as nuclear, "stabilise our common grid and the entire European electricity market ... Without such energies, there is no path for the EU to provide to its citizens affordable, reliable and abundant low-carbon energy while achieving net-zero by 2050."
It continues: "Therefore, the Commission should work on a facilitating framework for the development of nuclear energy in Europe, entailing the development of the nuclear value chain, fuels, research and innovation, and sufficient expertise and skills, while also accelerating the development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs)".
The Alliance said the Commission must clearly explain how the "technology neutrality principle" will be applied and how it intends to create a "supporting ecosystem" for the deployment of new nuclear capacity in the EU, including SMRs, as well as the extension of existing reactors' operation.
The declaration was signed by representatives from Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.
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