Is an atomic renaissance possible in Europe

Sergey Kondratiev, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented on the development of nuclear energy in the EU to the internet portal Strana Rosatom.

So far, Europeans consider solar, wind and geothermal stations, as well as small hydroelectric power stations without dams, to be green. Sergey Kondratiev, deputy head of the economic department of the Institute for Energy and Finance Foundation, calls this approach short-sighted: “We need to focus on the specific carbon intensity of electricity generation. For nuclear power plants, it is noticeably lower than for coal or gas thermal power plants. In addition, nuclear power plants, unlike most renewable energy sources, can be used as large sources of thermal energy. The EC does not include dam hydroelectric power plants as green sources, but, in my opinion, such a watershed is conditional. For the energy transition, we must optimize the generation basket based on production costs, specific emissions, reliability and quality of power supply, and not on one parameter. "

“Indeed, in recent months, many politicians and experts in the EU have started talking about the need to develop nuclear energy, pointing out that without nuclear power plants it is impossible to fulfill the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate - at least at the global level. However, unfortunately, major political parties and public opinion in the EU continue to oppose the construction of nuclear power plants, appealing to the fact that the cost of generating electricity from renewable energy sources is steadily decreasing and therefore neither fossil fuel generation nor nuclear power plants are needed in the energy of the future. Of course, this is not the case, and the bet on undisputed generation leads to a sharp increase in volatility in the markets, which was shown by the energy crisis of 2021. But for now, the European Commission maintains a course towards the development of exclusively renewable energy sources, not paying attention to other low-carbon sources, including nuclear power plants, which have a projected, planned load schedule."

“Now only Rosatom is able to quickly build a nuclear power plant - in six to seven years, while in Europe the construction takes even 15 years,” Sergey Kondratiev comments. - Please note that the list of signatories for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the green taxonomy included countries that had previously supported the development of nuclear energy - France, Hungary, Finland. The position of Germany, Belgium and other states on decommissioning nuclear power plants and abandoning the use of atomic energy remains unchanged. At the same time, for example, in France, construction is facing serious difficulties: the construction of the third unit of the Flamanville NPP has continued for the 15th year, commissioning is scheduled for 2023, although it was originally planned for 2012. Even these countries (proposing to include the atom in the taxonomy - "SR") will have to make significant efforts to keep the share of nuclear generation at least at the current level."