The Brussels-based nuclear industry group Foratom said it regrets that the European Commission has ignored the need for clean, dispatchable and European sources of energy in a green recovery plan published on 27 May designed to help the bloc recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

“These three elements are essential if the EU really wants to decarbonise its economy, create jobs and ensure that citizens, hospitals and businesses have access to the energy they need when they need it,” Foratom said in a statement.

The €1.85 trillion EU recovery plan, outlined in a 17-page proposal, focuses on EU Green Deal initiatives. It makes no mention of nuclear energy. It says the commission will focus on unlocking investment in technologies key for the clean energy transition, such as renewable and energy storage technologies, clean hydrogen, batteries, carbon capture and storage and sustainable energy infrastructure.