European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced on March 10 that the European Union will pursue a new strategy to deploy small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) across the bloc by the early 2030s, part of a broader push to reduce energy costs and strengthen energy independence.

SMRs are smaller nuclear reactors that can produce up to 300 megawatts of electricity—about one-third the power of traditional reactors—while generating low-carbon energy.

Their modular design, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) allows them to be built in factories and transported for installation, making them cheaper and faster to deploy and suitable for remote areas or smaller power grids.

“Our goal is simple,” Von der Leyen said at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris.

“We want this new technology to be operational in Europe by the early 2030s, so that it can play a key role alongside traditional nuclear reactors.”

The strategy includes three steps to speed up deployment.

The EC plans to simplify regulations, create “regulatory sandboxes” to allow companies to test new technologies, and align nuclear rules across EU countries.

Von der Leyen said the EU will support investment with a 200 million-euro ($232 million) guarantee. She added that European countries must cooperate more closely to scale up SMRs by aligning regulations, streamlining permitting, and developing a skilled workforce.

Von der Leyen acknowledged that nuclear energy’s share in the EU’s power mix has declined significantly.

“While in 1990 one-third of Europe’s electricity came from nuclear, today it is only close to 15%,” she said, describing the reduction as a “strategic mistake.”

“Nuclear energy is reliable, providing electricity all year, around the clock,” she added.Macron Nuclear PushThe Nuclear Energy Summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, brought together government leaders, international organizations, and energy companies to discuss the role of nuclear power in achieving climate goals and ensuring stable energy supplies.

Speaking on March 10, Macron said in a keynote address that France’s large nuclear fleet already provides a competitive advantage as countries race to expand AI infrastructure.

“In France, last year, we exported 90 terawatt-hours of decarbonized electricity,” he said.

He said the country’s nuclear capacity allows France to host energy-intensive computing infrastructure.

“Thanks to our nuclear plants, we have the ability to open data centers, to build computing capacity, to be at the heart of the artificial intelligence challenge,” Macron said.

Macron said Europe must continue investing in nuclear technology while improving safety and standardizing reactor designs to increase competitiveness.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at the European Union Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 19, 2025. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo)French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at the European Union Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 19, 2025. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)
The French leader also called for greater cooperation among European countries in developing SMRs.

“These small modular reactors are an opportunity in Europe to invent and explore new practices,” Macron said, warning that global competition in the technology is intensifying.

“Our American, Canadian, and Chinese friends are at the forefront of these innovations and are accelerating,” he said. “Europeans must remain in the race.”

Macron also stressed the need for stronger electricity interconnections within Europe and more diversified uranium supplies to reduce geopolitical risks.Nuclear Revival Across Europe and BeyondEurope’s renewed focus on nuclear energy follows several recent policy shifts and geopolitical events, including the war in Ukraine, which pushed nuclear power back onto the EU’s policy agenda

The crisis led to the launch of the European Nuclear Alliance in 2023, a group of countries advocating greater use of nuclear energy within the EU’s climate strategy.

France adopted a new energy law in February, expanding nuclear power as part of a broader effort to phase out fossil fuels. The plan calls for building six new EPR2 reactors, with the option for eight more, with the first expected to come online around 2038.
Germany shut down its last three nuclear plants in 2023, even though they could have continued operating for decades, if not a century, and opted instead for energy sources such as wind and solar.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Jan. 14 that the decision to close the reactors was a “serious strategic mistake.”
Elsewhere in Europe, the United Kingdom approved construction of the Sizewell C nuclear plant in eastern England in July 2025.
Interest in nuclear power has also been rising in the United States, where technology companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google have signed long-term agreements to secure nuclear energy supplies for power-hungry data centers.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the resulting disruption of energy markets have pushed nuclear power back onto the European Union’s policy agenda.

Von der Leyen said Europe still possesses significant technological expertise in the nuclear sector.

“We have half a million highly skilled workers in nuclear—far more than the U.S. and China,” she said.

“The nuclear tech race is on,” von der Leyen added. “But we know that Europe has everything it needs to lead.”