France is strengthening ties between nuclear industry players in the European Union.
French Energy Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher and Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Business and Industry Ebba-Elisabeth Busch signed a declaration of intent in Brussels on Tuesday to strengthen nuclear energy co-operation between the two countries.
Within the declaration are items such as promoting the creation of a “regulatory, industrial and financial framework favourable to nuclear projects” in order to “strengthen Europe’s energy sovereignty and security”.
France and Sweden also intend to increase the “exchange of experiences and best practices in the field of public participation” or “financing models for the construction of new reactors.” While France intends to build 6 new EPR 2 nuclear reactors or even 14, Sweden aims to acquire two new reactors in 2035 and ten in 2045.
France, under the leadership of its Minister for Energy Transition, has led a European movement that highlights the role that nuclear power can play in decarbonising the energy mix.
Currently, the share of renewables in the overall energy mix measures energy transition efforts. France and its partners favour a different model that would take into account the share of carbon-free energy sources. In other words, it would include nuclear energy. This is a very important point, as Europe is committed to decarbonising its electricity system by 2035.
