Brussels-based nucleareurope wants equal support for all ‘clean and sovereign’ energy sources
The Brussels-based industry group nucleareurope has called on heads of state and government meeting in Alden Biesen in Flanders, Belgium, to rapidly support the deployment of clean, homegrown sources of energy and for EU financing and funding mechanisms to treat all clean technologies equally.
The group said energy-related policies must provide equal support to all clean and sovereign energy sources to ensure security of supply and affordability.
It called for “concrete actions” including an EU trade policy which ensures that European technologies compete on an equal footing with those from other parts of the world. It said the bloc needs to support manufacturing and supply located in Europe, regardless of a company’s country of origin.
Nucleareurope, which represents nearly 3,000 firms in the nuclear energy sector, said “strong support “should be provided to ensure the competitiveness of Europe’s industrial sectors.
It said: “Such action is indispensable to tackle the current challenges which Europe’s industries are facing in terms of access to a constant, clean and affordable energy.”
“The EU needs to act now if it is serious about supporting the competitiveness of Europe’s industries,” said nucleareurope director-general Emmanuel Brutin.
“As recent events have demonstrated, we need to reduce our dependence on energy imports and ramp up the deployment of clean, European energy sources, namely nuclear and renewables. This will only be achieved if member tates and the EU institutions work together on a long-term policy vision which creates investment certainty in Europe”.
The nucleareurope comments came as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a keynote speech at the Antwerp European Industry Summit on 11 February that reliable, affordable energy is central to making the business case for Europe, especially for the energy-intensive sectors.
Prices Still ‘Too High And Too Volatile’
“Prices are still too high and too volatile” she said, adding: “We know the reason for this: gas prices drive energy prices up, renewables and nuclear drive prices down.”
She said the gas price last year in Europe was, on average, €100/MWh ($118/MWh) The price for renewables was, on average, €34/MWh. And the price for nuclear was between €50 and €60/MWh.
“And in the past two years, nuclear – our largest single energy source – increased,” Von der Leyen aid. “But more is needed to stabilise and lower the prices, so the next few years are crucial.”
The EU “must drastically modernise its energy taxation system” as electricity is currently taxed 15 times more heavily than gas, Von der Leyen said.
Energy-intensive industries like chemicals, steel, aluminium, cement and ceramics are all affected by high energy prices, which drive up production costs and hamper the EU27’s ability to compete globally.
Industry leaders fear that if European electricity prices remain high relative to global peers, investment will shift elsewhere and capacity will be lost.
Von der Leyen has backed nuclear, saying that in the EU, nuclear power is still the largest single source of electricity generation with a 22% share, although that share is substantially below the levels reached in the 1990s, when nuclear power generated one-third of Europe's electricity.
“Key tasks lie ahead if nuclear is to make a substantial contribution to climate neutrality objectives,” Von der Leyen told a nuclear summit in 2024.
Main Task Is To Secure New Investment
“The main one is to secure new investments. Support is needed from governments to ensure that financing is available and that nuclear’s contribution to electricity security is properly valued and remunerated.”
The European Commission’s 2025 nuclear illustrative programme (Pinc) estimates that Europe requires €241bn in nuclear investment by 2050 to meet net-zero targets. The Pinc report warned that without long-term operation of existing nuclear plants, the EU’s nuclear capacity would be close to nothing by 2050, making the energy transition significantly more difficult.
EU leaders are meeting at Alden Biesen castle on 12 February to discuss Europe’s economy ahead of next month’s EU summit.
One of the proposals for discussion includes unlocking the full potential of the single market via the “28th regime”, a plan to have one common EU law for businesses.
The talks will also focus on reducing risk dependencies in supply chains, pushing for further simplification, tackling unfair competition with China, and removing internal barriers that stifle European companies.
Leaders will discuss the bloc’s competitiveness and ways to revitalise the economy, particularly for energy-intensive sectors.
Heads of state and government are meeting at Alden Biesen castle in Flanders, Belgium. Courtey Visit Limburg.
