nucleareurope gives views on energy sector integration at WNA workshop

On Thursday 20 June, nucleareurope Policy Director Andrei Goicea participated in a panel discussion on regional perspectives at the World Nuclear Association’s end energy users panel workshop on decarbonising with nuclear, focused on bridging perspectives between the nuclear industry and end energy users.

In his intervention, Andrei highlighted the importance of nuclear to the EU’s economy, detailing that nuclear currently represents almost 25% of the EU’s electricity production, contributes around €100 billion in EU GDP, and maintains over 1 million European jobs annually. He added that nuclear is used in multiple sectors, such as health, agriculture and science, along with the energy sector.

“In terms of energy sector integration, nuclear generates power but also heat for industrial processes or district heating, and hydrogen, as well as desalination – for clean water production” said Andrei, adding that the low carbon nature of nuclear made it an essential component of the EU’s efforts to decarbonise industry.

Andrei concluded his presentation by showcasing the potential benefits of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for energy sector integration, supporting clean hydrogen production and allowing for the distribution of power and heat across multiple sectors. In this respect, he stressed that the recently launched European Industrial Alliance on SMRs will provide a framework for the development and deployment of SMR projects in the EU by the 2030s, with one of its 8 working groups specifically focusing on the industrial applications of SMRs.