Europe relies on nuclear power to achieve its climate goals

Croatia rejects a nuclear reactor project in Slovenia that would dump nuclear waste near its border. Germany has objections to a planned Polish reactor that the German Greens said would most likely contaminate Germany in the event of an accident.

The ability of small nuclear reactors to produce energy quickly or cheaply enough to matter to countries is also unclear, said Mark Hibbs, senior fellow and nuclear expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mr. Hibbs, who is based in Germany, noted that 10 such reactors may have to do the same job as a large modern nuclear power plant.

Doug Parr, Senior Scientist for Greenpeace in the UK, said: “It doesn’t solve society’s problems; it solves the problems of the nuclear industry. “He added,” They want to come up with a new concept that doesn’t have the bad image of a large nuclear power plant. “

Those pushing for nuclear revitalization say such concerns are exaggerated.

In France, President Macron announced earlier this month that he would restart the country’s nuclear program in order to “meet” France’s commitments to reduce CO2 emissions. A recent government-commissioned report concluded that France is unlikely to be able to achieve net zero emissions from renewable energy only by 2050.

His government is expected to authorize the state-owned Électricité de France to build six new pressure reactors and spend billions to help EDF produce small modular nuclear reactors by 2030. The work would be a lifeline for EDF, which owes over € 40 billion after struggling with construction delays and cost overruns.

The rush is already underway in Eastern Europe.

Poland, Romania and the Ukraine, which have long been dependent on coal-fired power plants, conclude contracts with American and European companies for small reactor technology, among other things. Poland alone wants to build large nuclear reactors and at least half a dozen smaller ones at coal sites to produce electricity and create jobs.

“The ability to recreate electricity in less time and with lower overall project costs is a key driver behind this,” said John Kotek, vice president of policy development and public affairs for the Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry group in Washington.

Comments are closed.