(Bloomberg) — The European Union made a \u201cstrategic mistake\u201d in turning its back on nuclear energy, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in thinly-veiled criticism of Germany\u2019s decision to close its reactors.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile in 1990 one-third of Europe\u2019s electricity came from nuclear, today it is only close to 15%,\u201d she said at the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on Tuesday. \u201cI believe that it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Von der Leyen\u2019s comments are the latest to describe the decision by a number of European countries \u2014 most notably her home nation Germany \u2014 to phase out nuclear power as an error as the region transitions to a net-zero economy and weans itself off Russian fossil fuels. The current conflict in Iran is another reminder of how exposed the European economy is to global energy markets, with prices of oil and gas lurching higher since war began.<\/p>\n
The European Commission put forward Tuesday a strategy to spur the bloc\u2019s rollout of so-called small modular reactors, a technology that many see as key for replacing fossil-fuel generation and meeting the power demand needs of AI and data centers. Nuclear power provides clean baseload power, which can support the grid when there\u2019s not enough wind or solar output.<\/p>\n
Von der Leyen said that SMRs should be operational in Europe by the early 2030s. As part of the strategy, the commission will create a \u20ac200 million ($233 million) guarantee to support private investment in the technology, with the financial resources coming from the bloc\u2019s emissions trading system.<\/p>\n
Germany retired its last nuclear plants in 2023, following a decision finalized after the 2011 Fukushima disaster by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Von der Leyen was German minister for labor and social affairs at the time. Other nations \u2014 like Belgium \u2014 have decided to extend the lifetimes of their nuclear fleets.<\/p>\n
Asked about von der Leyen\u2019s remarks, current Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it should come as no surprise that he personally agrees with his fellow Christian Democrat and that he regrets the previous government\u2019s decision to end nuclear power.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision is irreversible,\u201d Merz said at a news conference in Berlin. \u201cWe\u2019re focusing now on the energy policy that we have. We have to expand the networks, and we need cross-border cooperation. We\u2019re really working every day to increase the available energy supply so that prices can come down in Germany.\u201d<\/p>\n
German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, from Merz\u2019s Social Democrat coalition partners, however disagreed that the nuclear exit was a mistake. He insisted Tuesday that the government in Berlin was right to phase out nuclear power and called the idea of building new plants \u201ca dead end.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of clinging to a nuclear mirage, we are focusing on better, safer, and more affordable alternatives,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cThanks to the nuclear phase-out, our country has become considerably safer. The nuclear consensus reached 15 years ago has benefited our country, and we shouldn\u2019t jeopardize it lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Updates with SMR strategy from fourth paragraph, details in table.)<\/p>\n
\u00a92026 Bloomberg L.P.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Bloomberg) — The European Union made a \u201cstrategic mistake\u201d in turning its back on nuclear energy, Commission 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