nucleareurope discusses role of nuclear in European energy system at GridX Days

On 12 November 2024, nucleareurope Communications and Advocacy Director Jessica Johnson participated in a panel discussion on nuclear, hydrogen and electrification, organised in the framework of the GridX Days 2024.

In her intervention, Jessica highlighted the importance of building an energy system composed of all net-zero technologies, with nuclear operating alongside renewables to achieve the European energy transition. She stressed that additional nuclear capacity would lead to a reduction in total energy system costs, by providing a stable supply of decarbonised electricity and reducing infrastructure and storage costs.

Commenting on the integration of nuclear in the energy system, Jessica noted that beyond electricity production for traditional uses, nuclear could also support the production of domestic clean hydrogen in the EU, thanks to its stable production of baseload electricity. She added that heat production from Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) could also support the decarbonisation of some heat intensive industries.

“We need to move away from the ‘renewables versus nuclear’ approach, and look into the best way to use all available net-zero sources to ensure Europeans have access to a secure supply of clean energy at affordable costs” concluded Jessica, adding that policy makers needed to adopt a technology neutral approach to the energy transition, focusing on decarbonisation objectives rather than cherry-picking some technologies over others.