Just last February, before the Russian occupation of Ukraine became more aggressive, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the European country would build up to 14 new generation nuclear reactors for energy production. France, the largest producer of nuclear energy in Europe, had promised a few years ago to gradually move away from that type of electricity production.
France’s change of course on nuclear power has made much more sense in recent days. The country’s decision at that time was explained as an action to cut emissions of polluting gases. But now, with the economic blockades on Russia and the European Union seeking to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, a jump back to nuclear generation seems a natural step and one of the most immediate solutions that Western Europe could take.
Europe imports around 40% of the gas it consumes from Russia. A cut in Russian supply as Western economic sanctions tighten could plunge the bloc into a serious crisis that is already taking a toll on all of its electricity consumers.
The International Energy Agency (EIA) has proposed a 10-point plan to eliminate or reduce Russian gas purchases in the medium term. One of the core measures is to maximize generation from plants that generate few emissions, mainly bioenergy and nuclear generation.
“Progress towards net zero ambitions in Europe will reduce gas use and imports over time, but the current crisis raises specific questions about imports from Russia and what policymakers and consumers can do to reduce them,” says the EIA in a document published a few days ago.
Nuclear power plants are the largest source of low emission energy and 25% of the total generation of the European Union. But the plan of the West was to detach itself little by little from these plants, which have historically been a source of ideological dispute and for which Europe has not reached a consensus.
Following the Fukushima accident in Japan in 2011, Germany announced that it would abandon all of its nuclear reactors. Ten years after the announcement that had repercussions throughout Europe, the country – which is the most dependent on Russian gas – has already shut down almost all its nuclear plants.
The rest of Europe has similar plans. Four nuclear reactors are planned to shut down this year, with another in 2023. The scheduled shutdowns could come at a time when Europe needs them most.
France has already announced that it will increase its nuclear capacity. England will also replace some old centre-backs. The Netherlands and Poland also appear to be trending back to the use of nuclear reactors, while Belgium and Spain have no big plans to increase their nuclear generation, according to a Bloomberg report.
Some plants that were disconnected for maintenance during the past year could return to work during the following months.
In the midst of the energy crisis in which Western Europe is plunged, Finland launched a new nuclear reactor a few days ago, which raised controversy among its population. The Olkiluoto 3 plant, the first to open in the last 15 years, will help reduce its needs for Russian imports by delivering electricity to its national grid, thereby trying to reduce the high prices it has registered in recent weeks.
The rest of the measures
The EIA plan aims for the European Union to reduce Russian gas imports by up to a third in just one year. The body adds in the document some other controversial points, such as not making any new contract for gas supply from Russia.
At the end of the year, a contract between Western Europe and the giant Gazprom – a Russian state company – will expire this year. This contract, says the EIA, is equivalent to 12% of the total gas that the European Union buys from the company. The organization proposes that this not be signed again, although most of the gas purchase agreements with Russia expire at the end of the decade.
“This provides the EU with a clear near-term opportunity to diversify its gas supplies and contracts towards other sources, taking advantage of the options for imports provided by its large liquefied natural gas infrastructure and pipelines,” the document says.
Some analyzes already point to the United States as the next great seller of gas to the European market. Due to its location, the infrastructure is complicated, but the energy crisis opens the door to trade between the two countries through the sale of hydrocarbons through ships. The EIA forecasts an increase in imports from some other countries, such as Azerbaijan and Norway.
