nucleareurope participates in a plenary session at the Spanish Nuclear Society Annual Meeting

​On Friday 11 October, in the framework of the Spanish Nuclear Society’s Annual Meeting, held in Cordoba from 9 to 11 October, nucleareurope Legal and International Relations Director Berta Picamal moderated and then intervened in a plenary session on the topic of the implications of the global push for nuclear energy.

The session brought together experts from governments, utilities and the legal and financial sector to discuss their actions to support nuclear new build and long-term operation of existing reactors.

In her intervention Berta gave an overview of recent political changes at the European level, highlighting the increasingly positive view on nuclear across Europe, with many countries looking to expand their nuclear capacity as a way to produce a secure supply of clean, affordable electricity.

“Nuclear plays a critical role in the energy transition. Many Member States have recognised that, as shown by the Nuclear Alliance objective of reaching 150GW of nuclear installed capacity in the EU by 2050, or the recent roadmaps to new nuclear industry statement” stated Berta, adding that an increase in nuclear installed capacity would lead to faster decarbonisation, lower energy costs and stronger industrial competitiveness in the EU, as demonstrated by the most recent ‘Pathways to 2050’ Compass Lexecon report, released on 10 October by nucleareurope.

As part of the event, Berta was also awarded the Carlos Sánchez del Rio prize for her contributions to nuclear development in the EU throughout her career. She is the fifth recipient of the prize, awarded to people or institutions which are recognised internationally for their unquestioned technical contribution, scientific merit or work in favour of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, since 2016. Berta has been working within nucleareurope for over two decades, and her work has always been devoted to defending a  coherent, consistent and technologically neutral  framework for nuclear policy at the European level.