Nuclear fission is the process used to power all commercial nuclear reactors. Currently, there are 8 power reactors under construction in Europe, and 106 operable nuclear reactors in the EU. Some of these reactors are being dismantled, while others are being extended for a longer life. Additionally, several new units are being planned or built.
In addition to power reactors, a full range of fuel cycle plants (from enrichment to waste storage and recycling) are also in operation in Europe. It is the responsibility of each EU Member State to decide its preferred energy combination. At present, 13 out of the 27 EU Member States use nuclear energy for power generation, accounting for over a quarter of all electricity in the EU. Approximately half of the countries in the EU generate nuclear energy.
France has the most operable nuclear reactors, followed by Belgium and Spain. These countries could increase power generation from existing reactors relatively quickly because most reactors normally do not operate at full capacity. This was one of the solutions proposed by the International Energy Agency to reduce European dependence on Russian natural gas. Plutonium extracted with reprocessing is not suitable for “classic” nuclear weapons, although it is commonly associated with them.
Reprocessing involves recovering fissionable and fertile materials from nuclear fuel used to provide MOX fuel to nuclear power plants. The European Commission has proposed a stress test for all nuclear power plants in Europe, to demonstrate that they can withstand incidents such as those in Fukushima. Countries that oppose the expansion of nuclear energy, including Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Portugal, have expressed concern about the disposal of nuclear waste and the risks of an accident. The European Commission is ready to decide later this year whether to classify nuclear energy as a clean energy source; if it does, it could boost investment in nuclear energy across the region, experts say. A number of countries have expanded their nuclear power generation capacity simply by upgrading existing reactors.
The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) laid the foundations for nuclear energy in Europe in 1957. It is therefore essential that European society and economy prevent any nuclear accident from occurring in the European Union by ensuring the highest possible quality of regulatory oversight and nuclear safety standards in each and every EU Member State.
