European leaders call for nuclear industry revival
(Baonghean.vn) - European leaders and nuclear experts are expected to call for the restoration of nuclear energy on March 21 (local time) at a summit in Brussels, seeking to rebuild Europe's nuclear industry after years of gradual decline.
The political push to expand nuclear power – a low-carbon energy source – is part of Europe’s efforts to meet ambitious climate targets. But it faces obstacles including a lack of investment, cost overruns and delays that have plagued recent projects.
Nuclear has fallen out of favor in Europe due to safety concerns following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, which forced Germany to immediately shut down six nuclear plants and phase out the remaining reactors. Germany's last reactor is due to close in April 2023.
However, the need to find alternatives to Russian gas after the Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022 and the European Union's pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 has renewed interest in nuclear power.
“We commit to working to unlock the full potential of nuclear energy by taking measures such as facilitating support and financing for extending the life of existing nuclear reactors,” the leaders are expected to say in a joint statement at a nuclear energy summit in Brussels.
The statement also pledged to build new nuclear power plants and deploy advanced reactors, including small modular reactors, around the world while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security, Reuters reported.
Europe must also rebuild its know-how by training the next generation of nuclear scientists and expanding research to catch up with the rest of the world. However, the budget for the EU’s main research agency, EURATOM, has been cut by 20% between 2021 and 2025.
“We have lost capacity due to the ageing population (of the nuclear workforce) and we have to be concerned about replacing skills in the near future,” Bernard Magenhann, deputy director general of the EU’s Joint Institute for Research, told reporters this week.
“We are now at a point where we are scaling back our activities… but we want to reskill new talent. Otherwise, as a research organization in 10 years, we will be in a difficult situation. It is a difficult period.”
