Von der Leyen: “Nuclear technologies can play an important role”

The president of the European Comission, Ursula von der Leyentoday supported the contribution of nuclear energy to the decarbonization of the economy, despite the division that atomic generation generates within the European Union.

“Nuclear technologies can play an important role in clean energy transitions”said Von der Leyen in her speech at the first Nuclear Energy Summit, convened this Thursday together with the iconic Atomium in Brussels by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Belgium.

The German Christian Democrat, who hopes to renew her position after the elections to the European Parliament next June, pointed out that she is aware that “there are different opinions” in the European Union regarding atomic energy.

But he added that “many countries are reconsidering the potential role” of nuclear power after “the global energy crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia” because it can contribute to climate objectives, energy security and stabilizing electricity prices.

The projections of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Commission itself for 2050 show that nuclear energy will grow and function as a complement to renewables, which “will be the backbone of EU energy production by 2050,” he said.

However, this energy source has declined both in the EU and in the world. Across the planet it has gone from 18% of the electricity “mix” in 1988 to 9% today, and in the community bloc it is around 22% when in the nineties it generated a third of Europe’s electricity.

Money, innovation and discipline to boost its deployment

Von der Leyen called for “support from governments to ensure that there is funding and that the contribution of nuclear energy electrical safety is adequately valued and remunerated.”

He also demanded “discipline” from the industry, since the future of this technology depends on its ability “to deliver projects on time and within budget,” since “too often” they have incurred delays and cost overruns, such as the Finnish plant. of Olkiluoto, which began operating a year ago after 18 years of construction.

Thirdly, the president of the European Comission He encouraged “seek new opportunities” for nuclear beyond electricity generation, such as “providing decarbonized heat or supplying low-emission hydrogen.”

He also appealed to “innovation” to hope to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMR, for its acronym in English), which are “a promising technology” for which there is an international “race” where China, Russia, the United States, Japan or Argentina and in which “several member states” of the EU are interested.

think twice

Some countries in the European Union They have closed their reactors, like Germany, others have it scheduled, like Spain, and in others the debate is open, like in Belgium.

And Von der Leyen, at the meeting of the atomic family in which 35 countries participated, took a position in favor of extending the life of the plants in use “as long as they are safe”, as it is “one of the most economical ways to ensure clean energy on a large scale.”

“Given the urgency of the climate challenge, countries need to carefully consider their options before giving up a readily available, low-emission source of electricity.”