About 15% of electricity in the European Union in 2050 will be generated with the help of nuclear energy, the European Commission (EC) believes.
“In our baseline scenarios, we project about 15% nuclear power in the EU in 2050,” said European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson in a speech posted on the EC website.
She did not specify what this share is at present. However, Simson said more than 350,000 people were employed in the nuclear energy sector in 2019, according to industry reports for 28 EU countries (including the now-absent UK). Indirectly, he has supported over 1 million jobs in other areas. According to the European Commissioner, the industry could grow and support more than 1.3 million jobs by 2050 if the currently planned investments are realized.
The European Commission assumes that the backbone of the future European energy system will be predominantly renewable energy sources. The countries of the union have pledged to jointly reduce at least 55% of emissions by 2030 from 1990 levels. The EU strives to ensure that by this time the share of renewable energy in its energy system is at least 40%, and 65% of electricity must be generated from renewable energy sources.
However, the increase in energy consumption from renewable sources is associated with a number of problems, for example, interruptions in the supply of such energy and its storage.
Against this background, “renewed interest in nuclear energy as part of the new energy future” of the European Union, said the European Commissioner.
“The point is that nuclear power is currently the most common low-carbon source, providing the base load needed to keep the grid stable,” said Simson.
