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Full technology neutrality is imperative for Europe’s competitiveness. We must take politics out of energy policy and put physics back in.
Ebba Busch is Sweden’s Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, and Deputy Prime Minister.
When prompted by reporters at the presentation of his report, Mario Draghi was not quite as drastic as to say this is a do or die moment, but told reporters it’s a ‘do this, or it’s a slow agony’.
There is broad consensus that the EU must increase productivity and competitiveness. Without action, Europeans will have to compromise on a combination of our welfare, our environment, and our freedom.
Enrico Letta, in his report on the future of the single market, pointed at the strong link between competitiveness and energy. The Draghi report calls for ‘massive mobilisation of both public and private finance’ to secure a large-scale deployment of clean energy sources, including renewables, nuclear, hydrogen and other clean energy technologies.
Both President von der Leyen and the Draghi report call for a technology neutral approach. Today, this is not the case in energy legislation. Current legislation focuses of what the energy system should consist of, instead of what the energy system should accomplish.
Four proposed commissioners now jointly carry the responsibility of securing the EU’s climate transition and competitiveness.
Stéphane Séjourné, proposed EVP for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, and Wopke Hoekstra, proposed commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, both have important tasks in accelerating growth and increasing competitiveness.
Dan Jørgensen, the proposed commissioner for Energy and Housing, and Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, proposed EVP for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, have been tasked with ensuring security of supply, sustainability, and competitiveness within energy.
Both, however, have previously made antinuclear statements.
For example, Ribera helped shepherd Spain’s plan to prematurely close all nuclear power plants in a phase out plan that will conclude in 2035.
It is, of course, each Member State’s right to determine their own choice between different energy sources. This same right must also extend to those countries which chose to include nuclear energy in their energy mix.
Sweden is a clear leader within the deployment of clean energy in the EU. Almost two-thirds (66%) of final energy consumption comes from renewables and electricity production is almost entirely fossil-free.
Together with France, Sweden is the largest electricity exporter in the EU.
For almost fifty years, since 1975, Sweden has consistently been among the top three countries globally in per capita electricity generation from nuclear energy. And Sweden, together with Denmark, has the highest per capita electricity generation from wind power.
The Swedish energy system clearly shows there is no opposition between nuclear and renewable energy. Instead, they complement each other.
To become a fossil-free, industrialised, developed economy, Sweden will need to double its current electricity production to meet a consumption of around 300 TWh by 2045. Decarbonisation at this scale can only be achieved with a mix of both renewables and nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy supplies over a quarter of all electricity in the EU, and an even higher proportion of baseload power. About half of all fossil-free electricity comes from nuclear energy.
As has been clearly laid out by the European Council’s strategic agenda, the Draghi report and President von der Leyens mission letter to Jørgensen, the issue of technology neutrality in energy policy is imperative to European competitiveness. Yet nuclear energy is still discriminated against in energy legislation.
We acknowledge and welcome a noticeable shift in tone on nuclear energy from the proposed commissioners. However, support for nuclear energy must go beyond being achieved only in language, it must be implemented in practice.
As European ambitions are revised to 2040 and legislation is updated, technology neutrality must permeate all targets, sub-targets and legislation.
The SMR Alliance is a good step, but energy policy should be extended to include the entire nuclear ecosystem, e.g. including fuel manufacturing and large-scale nuclear power plants.
Globally, several highly productive countries now race to deploy new nuclear power plants. With limited global capacity, the EU cannot afford to be left behind in this race. We cannot have commissioners who say ‘no’ or ‘maybe’. We need ‘yes’, ‘faster’ and ‘better’.
The transition away from today’s dependence on fossil-fuels must be efficient and cannot come at the cost of European competitiveness or European household’s economies.
We seek clear commitment, potentially in writing, that the new commissioners will live up to the full ambition of technology neutrality. For a greener, wealthier and more secure Europe.
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