The EU Is Deeply Divided Over Nuclear's Role In The Energy Transition

By Tsvetana Paraskova - May 18, 2023

• Thirteen EU countries – nearly half of the 27 member states – had operational nuclear reactors as of 2021.
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• As of the middle of April, Germany no longer produces nuclear power after it phased out all its nuclear plants.
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• The spat between proponents and opponents is even hampering the EU from passing the Renewable Energy Directive, which stipulates a binding target of 42.5% renewables share in the EU’s electricity mix by 2030.

While the U.S., the UK, and even Japan are doubling down on nuclear energy in the wake of the energy crisis, the European Union has seen divisions among member states over the role of atomic power in the climate goals only deepen since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the spike in energy prices.

The clash between the pro-nuclear EU members – half of the bloc’s countries that have nuclear power plants – and those opposing the expansion of this form of energy has escalated in recent months. The spat is even hampering the EU from passing the Renewable Energy Directive, which stipulates a binding target of 42.5% renewables share in the EU’s electricity mix by 2030.   

The pro-nuclear camp, led by France, seeks greater recognition of nuclear energy in the EU’s Green Deal and the inclusion of nuclear energy in the zero-carbon targets. The anti-nuclear camp, led by Germany and Austria, dismisses nuclear as a “green” power source and wants the EU to focus on accelerating the installation of wind and solar energy instead.

Nuclear Generates 25% Of EU’s Electricity

Thirteen EU countries – nearly half of the 27 member states – had operational nuclear reactors as of 2021—Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden.

In 2021, nuclear plants with a total installed capacity of around 100 gigawatts (GW) generated 25.2% of all electricity produced in the EU, according to Eurostat data. France had the highest share of nuclear power in its electricity mix, at 68.9%, followed by Slovakia with a 52.4% nuclear share and Belgium with 50.6%.

As of the middle of April, Germany no longer produces nuclear power after it phased out all its nuclear plants—a pledge made in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011.

The clash among EU countries on how nuclear energy should be treated in the green transition could be simplified with the different paths the EU’s largest economies – Germany and France – have chosen to follow in recent years and in the wake of the energy crisis last year.

Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, last month ended the nuclear power era despite continued concerns about energy security and energy supply after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the end of pipeline natural gas deliveries from Russia, which was the largest gas supplier to Germany before the war. Germany took its last three nuclear power plants offline in the middle of April, ending more than six decades of commercial nuclear energy use.

Although France has had troubles at many of its nuclear reactors, half of which have been shut down for repairs and maintenance several times over the past year, Europe’s second-largest economy doubles down on nuclear energy, spearheads EU efforts to include nuclear in the achievement of the net-zero targets, and is looking to develop small modular reactors. 

EU Alliance Seeks Greater Role For Nuclear In Reaching Net-Zero

But the EU hasn’t included nuclear in the pathways to reaching net-zero by 2050. Nearly half of the member states want that changed.

So this week, France’s Energy Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher hosted a meeting of the so-called Nuclear Alliance, at which representatives of 16 European countries – those with nuclear reactors plus the UK as invitee and Italy as observer – called on the EU “to take into account the contribution of all affordable, reliable, fossil-free and safe energy sources to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.”

The representatives of the Nuclear Alliance “emphasized on the key contribution of nuclear energy, as an addition to renewable energy, to decarbonise Europe’s energy production and collectively reach climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest,” the statement from the meeting reads.

They also encouraged the European Commission, which was represented at the meeting by Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, “to recognize nuclear energy in the EU’s energy strategy and relevant policies, including by proposing relevant initiatives and recognizing Member States’ efforts and commitment to decarbonize their energy mix with nuclear energy alongside all other fossil-free sources of energy in line with the transition toward climate neutrality.”

“16 European countries are convinced that nuclear power is an essential part of the energy transition, like renewable energies,” France’s Pannier-Runacher said. 

Yves Desbazeille, Director General at industry body nucleareurope who also attended the meeting, commented,

“This meeting shows that an ever-growing number of Member States recognise that if we want to decarbonise our economy in a sustainable and affordable way, then the EU needs to support the development of both nuclear and renewables.”

Nuclear Energy Spat Delays Adoption Of Higher Renewables Targets

The EU divide on nuclear energy this week delayed a key vote on the bloc’s renewable energy targets as member states continue to argue about the role of nuclear power in the clean energy targets. EU member states were set to vote on Wednesday to endorse higher renewable energy targets, the so-called Renewable Energy Directive, and potentially pave the way for a final formal vote next week.

But France voiced concerns about the small role of nuclear energy in the clean energy targets, while a number of Eastern European countries reportedly expressed concerns about the high cost of accelerating the deployment of renewable energy sources. 

Nuclear energy has been a bone of contention in several pieces of EU legislation in recent months. Last year, the EU decided to include nuclear energy and some natural gas projects and plants as environmentally sustainable economic activities. This was another controversial decision that drew the ire of environmental organizations that are now suing “the European Commission to end gas and nuclear greenwashing.”

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

Remediation of Kyrgyz uranium legacy site to start

19 May 2023

Remediation works at Mailuu-Suu - the largest uranium legacy site in Kyrgyzstan - are set to begin following the allocation of a grant of EUR23 million (USD25 million) from the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA), managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Mailuu-Suu (Image: WNN)

In the Mailuu-Suu area, uranium was mined and milled between 1946 and 1967 as part of the Soviet nuclear programme. During this period, some 10,000 tonnes of uranium oxide were produced there. The underground mines are subdivided into five mine fields and are accessible via three shafts. The Kara Balta Mining Combine was set up in the 1950s to mine and treat this ore in the north, near Bishkek.

Many unsecured deposits of uranium tailings on the steep and unstable mountain slopes around Mailuu-Suu (a former closed city) pose serious risks to the health of the local population and the environment. In addition, groundwater contaminated by mining waste can pose a risk when used for drinking and irrigation.

Radioactive substances are currently stored in 23 tailings ponds (total volume about 2 million cubic metres) and 13 mining debris heaps (total volume about 0.9 million cubic metres) situated along the Mailuu-Suu River, which feeds into the Syr Darya River. Some of these tailings have already been damaged by landslides, mudslides and floods, and some are in high-risk areas where major landslides are expected.

The ERA grant agreement - which will allow the commencement of seven years of remediation works - was signed on 16 May by Boobek Ajikeev, Kyrgyz Minister of Emergency Situations, and Balthasar Lindauer, director of the EBRD's Nuclear Safety Department.

The grant of EUR23 million, the largest since the establishment of the ERA, will help to stabilise and cover the radioactive tailings located along the Mailuu-Suu River. The planned soil covers will be 2 metres thick. About 350,000 cubic metres of tailings need to be relocated to a safe disposal site. The project will also finance the rehabilitation of contaminated land and water resources in the area.

"This is the third such site to be remediated in the Kyrgyz Republic following the successful completion of similar work at former uranium-mining locations in Shekaftar and Min-Kush in spring 2022," the EBRD noted. "The project will serve as a model for initiatives in other parts of Central Asia, where the issue of uranium legacy sites still needs to be addressed."

Central Asia served as an important source of uranium for the former Soviet Union. Uranium was mined for more than 50 years and uranium ore was also imported from other countries for processing, and large amounts of radioactively contaminated material were placed in mining waste dumps and tailing sites. Most of the mines were closed by 1995 but very little remediation was done before or after the closure of the mining and milling operations. The contaminated material is a threat to the environment and the health of the population. The hazards include the possible pollution of ground and surface water in a key agricultural centre of the region.

The EBRD in 2015 established the ERA, at the request of the European Commission, to tackle this legacy. The ERA, which became operational in 2016, is supported by contributions from the European Commission, Belgium, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the USA.

In August 2017, the Kyrgyz government ratified a framework agreement with the EBRD, which had been signed in January of that year. Ratification of the agreement meant all the basic conditions were in place for remediation work to begin at several uranium legacy sites in the country.

SMRs considered for Indonesian fertiliser plant

19 May 2023

A collaboration between Danish and Indonesian companies will study the operational and regulatory conditions for constructing an ammonia production facility in Indonesia powered by Copenhagen Atomics' small and modular thorium molten salt reactors.

The signing of the MoU in Copenhagen (Image: Copenhagen Atomics)

Four Danish companies - Copenhagen Atomics, Aalborg CSP, Alfa Laval and Topsoe - have signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesian ammonia producer Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT), together with Pertamina New & Renewable Energy to investigate building a facility in the city of Bontang on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, in the province of East Kalimantan.

The facility - expected to open in 2028 - will produce 1 million tonnes of ultra-low emission ammonia annually, with an estimated investment of USD4 billion. This is sufficient to produce fertiliser for the production of food for 45 million people, about one-sixth of the Indonesian population. During the plant's 50-year lifetime, it will produce ammonia worth USD25 billion at today's prices.

In addition to the ammonia synthesis, Topsoe will supply newly-developed electrolysis cell technology, called Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC). SOEC is claimed to make the production of hydrogen up to 30% more efficient than competing technologies. Hydrogen is an intermediate stage in the production of ammonia. Alfa Laval will deliver heat exchangers to optimise the energy balance of the plant, and desalination to produce ultra-pure water for the electrolysis process. Copenhagen Atomics will supply its thorium molten salt small modular reactors (SMRs). Meanwhile, Aalborg CSP will design and supply thermal energy storage systems, molten salt based steam boilers providing the energy balancing required to integrate the energy production from the SMR modules with electricity production and waste heat from power turbines with production of ultra clean water.

The nuclear power plant part of the project will comprise of 25 SMR modules proving a total of 1 GW.

A visualisation of a 1 GW plant based on Copenhagen Atomics' molten salt reactor (Image: UK Atomics)

"In the next six months, the final examinations must be completed and the legal landscape in Indonesia should be fully mapped," Copenhagen Atomics said.

"The study aims to overcome the challenge of energy intensity in producing green ammonia," PKT said. "The study seeks to ascertain whether the use of thorium-based nuclear technology can enable the production of ammonia without the use of hydrocarbon raw materials while remaining competitive in price."

"Pupuk Kaltim views the joint study as an essential step towards achieving our sustainability goals," said Rahmad Pribadi, President Director of PKT. "We are honoured to work with industry leaders to promote sustainable practices and contribute to a greener planet. Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in our focus on innovation to revolutionise the agricultural sector. As consumers increasingly prefer sustainable and eco-friendly products, PKT is proud to be at the forefront of this movement."

Thomas Jam Pedersen, chairman and co-founder of Copenhagen Atomics. "Green ammonia at low price helps reduce the world's CO2 emissions, and for our thorium reactors, that market is a huge opportunity, especially when we can offer a complete plant together with our partners."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News