Von Der Leyen Sets Out EU SMR Strategy With €200M Guarantee At Paris Nuclear Summit
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen used a speech at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris to announce a new European strategy for small modular reactors (SMRs), backed by a €200m ($232m) investment guarantee funded through the European Unions’s emissions trading system.
Von der Leyen said the goal was to have SMR technology operational in Europe by the early 2030s, where it could play a role alongside traditional nuclear reactors in a flexible and efficient energy system.
She proposed three main pillars: simplified regulation through cross-border regulatory sandboxes, mobilisation of private investment through the new guarantee, and coordinated cooperation between member states on permitting, skills and supply chains.
The Commission president said Europe’s share of nuclear in its electricity mix had fallen from one-third in 1990 to around 15% today, and called that decline a strategic mistake.
“I believe that it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power,” she said.
Macron Says Nuclear Key To Meeting Climate Goals And Powering Future Industries
The world cannot achieve decarbonisation, energy independence, and economic competitiveness without nuclear energy, French president Emmanuel Macron said.
Speaking at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris today, Macron said nuclear energy was “uniquely placed” to reconcile three objectives shared by all countries: affordable and competitive energy, low-carbon electricity production, and strategic independence from fossil fuel imports.
“Without nuclear, we will not be able to meet the objective of decarbonisation and carbon neutrality by 2050 while continuing to create jobs and having dispatchable and abundant energy,” he said.
Macron also pointed to the growing demands of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure as a new argument for nuclear. Countries that tried to develop AI capacity using fossil fuels or new drilling would deepen “the climate dilemma” he said.
On France’s own programme, Macron said the country had already decided to build six new EPR2 reactors and was programming eight more. A nuclear policy council would take place in two days to take further decisions based on the multiannual energy programme approved in February.
“Things are moving as they should,” he said.