nucleareurope presents European Industrial Alliance on SMRs to GMF
On 23 May, Berta Picamal, nucleareurope Legal & International Relations Director, participated in an event on new nuclear developments and the role of local communities in the energy transition, co-organised by the Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities (GMF) and ARCICEN. The two-day event, held from 22 to 24 May in France, close to the Bugey Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) aimed at contributing to the strategic reflection on the opportunities, challenges, concerns and expectations from local communities regarding new nuclear developments.
During the seminar, Berta spoke about the political shift we are witnessing in the European Union and the importance of several initiatives launched lately including the Net-Zero Industry Act and the Nuclear Alliance of Member States that support continued operation and new NPPs. She then focused on the recently launched European Industrial Alliance on SMRs, delving into the Alliance’s structure, its specific objectives and the timeline for the operationalisation of its activities.
Following a brief introduction on the history of the Alliance’s creation, she outlined the objectives of the Alliance, the main one being to facilitate and accelerate the development, demonstration and deployment of the first SMR projects in Europe in the early 2030s, by assisting emerging SMR projects to reach the demonstration and deployment phase. In order to achieve this objective, the Alliance provides a framework for members’ to participate in its activities by getting involved in its technical or project based working groups.
“The Alliance will promote collaborative actions between SMR project promoters, public and private entities and associations, Member States, regions, social partners, regulators, research and technology organisations, education and training institutions, investors, civil society and NGOs.” Picamal said, encouraging all members to become actively engaged in the Alliance, as it is now entering a crucial operationalisation stage, with a technology roadmap to be published in the fourth quarter of 2024 and a strategic action plan to be released by the first quarter of 2025.