Senior executives from Europe’s nuclear industry have called on the European Commission to take “concrete steps” to support nuclear investments under the EU’s post-2030 energy and climate framework, including a common clean energy target covering both nuclear power and renewables.
In a letter dated 19 October to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the executives urged the EU to move away from technology-specific targets and ensure that all low-carbon energy sources receive equal policy support.
The letter, sent by Brussels-based industry association nucleareurope, said the forthcoming EU post-2030 “will drive clean investments” over the next decade.
The executives called for an overarching clean energy target covering “all homegrown sources”, including nuclear and renewables, rather than separate technology-specific targets.
They also requested guaranteed access to support mechanisms for all net-zero technologies, with policies supporting nuclear and renewables equally.
A third recommendation called for measures to accelerate electrification and the development of net-zero heating technology.
The letter said a balanced energy mix would help the EU reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, strengthen energy security, and improve industrial competitiveness.
The executives welcomed the Commission’s growing recognition of nuclear energy, including Von der Leyen’s recent state of the union address, in which she highlighted the role of both nuclear and renewables in providing affordable, domestically produced clean energy.
However, they said “it is essential that these intentions are followed by concrete policy steps to support all sources of clean energy equally.”
The executives pointed to planned investments in long-term operation of existing nuclear plants, construction of new large reactors and development of small modular reactors.
The executives said a technology-neutral approach would provide a more balanced basis for investment as the EU seeks to expand electricity use, maintain energy system resilience and meet its decarbonisation objectives.
EU Nuclear Investment Needs
The European Commission’s 2025 Pinc nuclear illustrative programme said the EU would need €241bn in investments through 2050 to meet nuclear energy plans and maintain capacity at around 109 GW.
In March 2026, the EU adopted a binding target to cut net emissions by 90% by 2040 on the path to climate neutrality by 2050. But the focus is expected to shift to the actual set of binding rules the commission will propose post-2030 to help meet these targets.
Nucleareurope has called for an increase of installed nuclear capacity to 150 GW by 2050, up from around 106 GW today. Emmanuel Brutin, the group’s director general, recently said that EC state aid processed “need to be streamlined,” but also conditions to support private capital for nuclear projects need improvement.
According to nucleareurope, there are 100 commercial nuclear power plants in operation in Europe. The group put the bloc’s nuclear share at 24%.
