The price of electricity this Sunday is the most expensive in history: 209.63 euros per megawatt hour (MWh). It seems that it is no longer news, but today’s is a new record and, in addition, the tenth day above the threshold of 200 euros. The rise in the price of energy has relaunched the debate on nuclear reactors. In Europe, only France has 72% of electricity created by nuclear energy. In Spain it was 22% in 2020.
The French country plans to develop modular nuclear reactors. Because Emmanuel Macron’s goal is to reindustrialize France. “The strategy for 2030 should lead us to invest 30,000 million euros“, the French president has assured. Of those 30,000 million announced, he will allocate 1,000 to this type of nuclear reactors. But what are the modular ones? They are smaller, use less energy and are easier to transport.
“This has many advantages in terms of cost reduction, simplicity and safety”, explained Alfredo García, nuclear engineer and disseminator. But all that glitters is not gold. “The problem is that are not developed, there are very few copies, and on the other hand, all the security questions are not finished, “said Cristina Roig, a member of Ecologists in Action and the Iberian Antinuclear Movement.
Now, the objective is that the nuclear material that is generated lasts less time, and that is what they are focusing on the 72 designs that are being developed around the world. Today, Spain produces 20% of its energy with nuclear power, far behind France, which leads the list of European countries. Meanwhile, Germany closes it. It only produces 12% of its energy with nuclear power.
This, however, has led the European country to increase coal burning due to the rise in gas. “It’s about reducing emissions, and for that, a combination of variable renewable energies with other backup energies that are also low in emissions is necessary, “García detailed.” Obtaining uranium comes from mining. Therefore, when it is said that nuclear power is free of Co2 emissions, it is not true, “Roig warned.
All in the midst of the debate about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and with increasingly expensive electricity.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
