Return to nuclear power, in 2024 the EU is at a crossroads:the promises of atomic energy put to the test in the European elections

In the last year, atomic energy has regained credibility in the eyes of citizens, but many doubts remain among experts

When it comes to energy transition, there is no longer a topic divisive of nuclear power.For some, atomic energy is indispensable to achieving zero emissions goals and combating climate change.For others, it is an obsolete and too expensive technology, which cannot stand comparison with renewables.In some ways, 2023 was the year in which nuclear power came back into the spotlight.Last December, it was mentioned for the first time explicitly in the Dubai COP28 outcome document and a group of 20 countries signed a pact to “triple nuclear energy capabilities worldwide by 2050.”A few weeks later, the European Union included atomic energy among the technologies considered «strategic» to reach the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.Not only that:the Commission announced that "an industrial alliance for small modular reactors" will be born in the first months of 2024, on which the Italian government has also demonstrated a certain interest.If nuclear energy is back in fashion in 2023, will 2024 be the year of its (new) consecration?“We need to distinguish chatter from actual investments,” warns Luca Iacoboni, energy and decarbonization expert at the ECCO think tank.«Certainly – he adds – at the level of debate it is back in fashion and also at the European elections in June it will be a central and polarizing theme of the electoral campaign».

Nuclear power in Europe

In 2021, a quarter of the energy produced in European Union countries came from nuclear power.However, if we consider the energy consumed, which therefore also takes into account imports from abroad, the percentage drops to 13%.Overall, in recent years nuclear power has played an increasingly marginal role in Europe.In 2004, the production of European power plants reached a maximum peak of 900 terawatt hours, while in 2021 production stopped at 731 terawatt hours.At the moment, only 12 of the 27 EU countries produce nuclear energy:France (56 reactors), Spain (7), Sweden (6), Czech Republic (6), Belgium (5), Finland (5), Slovakia (5), Hungary (4), Bulgaria (2), Romania (2 ), the Netherlands (1) and Slovenia (1).

For and against

In recent years, European countries have moved in no particular order on the issue of nuclear energy.Last April, Germany shut down its last three reactors, completing the phase out of atomic energy decided by the former chancellor Angela Merkel.A few days ago, Spain also Pedro Sanchez confirmed that it will follow the same path, announcing that by 2035 all nuclear power plants will be closed.Until a few years ago, Belgium and Switzerland were also preparing to dismantle their plants, but the gas crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced their governments to review their plans.Among those in favor of nuclear power, however, France has the lion's share.The country led by Emmanuel Macron It owns 56 of the 100 active reactors in the European Union and obtains 41% of the energy it consumes from nuclear power.Finland is also focusing on atomic energy, where the largest (and newest) nuclear reactor on the continent came into operation last April.There are currently two more under construction:one in France and one in Slovakia.Poland also looks with some interest at atomic energy.As of 2022, the country produced more than 40% of its energy with coal, the most polluting of fossil fuels, but plans to begin construction of its first nuclear power plant in 2026, so it can produce energy starting in 2033.

The temptations of Italy

And Italy?In the second half of the last century, our country was considered one of the pioneers of civil nuclear power and could count on four power plants:in Trino (Vercelli), Caorso (Piacenza), Sessa Aurunca (Caserta) and Latina.Following the Chernobyl accident in 1986, a referendum was called which led to the closure of all plants and the dismantling of the government's nuclear program.A new attempt to bring atomic energy back to Italy came from the government of Silvio Berlusconi.Also in this case, the Italians opposed the return of nuclear power with a repeal referendum supported by a very large majority.After almost ten years of substantial silence on the topic, the debate on nuclear energy has recently revived in Italy too, with several exponents of the Meloni government who said they were open to reintroducing the atom into the Italian energy mix.Last May, the parliament he approved a motion which commits the government to «evaluate in which territories outside of Italy the production of nuclear energy can satisfy national energy needs».Then in September, the Minister of the Environment Gilberto Pichetto ha launched the National Platform for sustainable nuclear power.

At the end of the process - which involves institutions, companies and sector experts - the executive will have to pull the strings and present its strategy on how it intends to proceed.According to some statements made by the minister, the government would be thinking not of building actual power plants, but of small modular reactors to be made available to energy-intensive companies.In a possible return of nuclear energy to Italy, therefore, the State would limit itself to establishing the regulatory framework and would not be personally involved in the construction of the plants.«There is a difference between existing nuclear power and newly built nuclear power.For a country that has to start from scratch, like Italy, decarbonisation cannot rely on technologies that do not yet exist", argues Iacoboni.According to the energy expert from the ECCO think tank, nuclear power has costs and implementation times that are incompatible with the urgency of the climate crisis and risks taking away investments needed elsewhere:«There are ready-made technologies:renewables, storage systems, network infrastructure, energy efficiency.This is where we should focus."

Internal pressures within the EU

A decisive push for the comeback of nuclear power has recently also come from the European institutions themselves.In 2022, atomic energy and gas officially entered the EU taxonomy of “green” sources.A highly contested decision which was followed last December by the inclusion of nuclear energy among the technologies on which Brussels will focus to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.These measures are also a consequence of the growing internal pressure that Brussels receives from the "EU pro-nuclear alliance", led by France.The 14 countries that are part of this group meet periodically to discuss their strategy, with Italy remaining on the sidelines.In fact, our country participated in the latest meetings as an observer.In the first months of the year, the European Commission is expected to launch another alliance:that on small modular reactors (Smr), which fall within the "new generation" nuclear sector and could see the light around 2030.Italy intends to play a leading role in this sector and can count on two of the five main European companies carrying out research on SMRs:Ansaldo Nucleare and Enea.

The crux of the European elections

The definitive confirmation of the return of nuclear power to Europe could come from the European elections next June.Generally, conservative and right-wing parties look favorably on investments in atomic energy, while skeptical and in some cases radically opposed positions prevail among progressive political forces.«The climate is an issue on which the right has moved late – observes Iacoboni -.Today we cannot afford to be deniers, so conservative parties are looking for a new positioning.And nuclear power is certainly part of this strategy."An analysis of Eu Matrix shows that the three major Italian right- and centre-right parties (Fratelli d'Italia, Forza Italia and Lega) have almost always voted in favor of nuclear measures, like many of their allies in Brussels.It is possible, therefore, that in the election campaign of the next few months we will return to talking about this topic.“The debate on nuclear power has often been a means of mass distraction,” Iacoboni warns once again.«Talking about nuclear energy implies that we are not talking about anything else.And today - specifies the expert - this "other" is represented by gas, which, unlike nuclear power, is not at all zero-emission and on which a huge game is being played in terms of investments in Italy too".

Cover photo:OPEN / Graphic design by Vincenzo Monaco