atw Vol. 60 (2015) | Issue 1 ı January
12
EU 2030 Targets “Unachievable”
Without Long-Term Nuclear Operation
INSIDE NUCLEAR WITH NUCNET
NucNet
Nuclear energy will continue to support
greenhouse gas emission reduction targets until
2020, but without decisions on long-term
operation of ageing reactors, it will be difficult
for the EU to meet its 2030 targets, International
Energy Agency (IEA) executive director
Maria van der Hoeven, tells NucNet.
NucNet: Do you think EU energy policy addresses its goals
of competitiveness, security of supply and sustainability?
Maria van der Hoeven: At the IEA we have quite a few questions
about this. It is good to have these targets, but up until
now the EU is missing the direct connection between the three
goals. What is mostly needed to achieve the goals is to finalise
the EU’s internal energy market. Secondly, if you have a functioning
energy market, you need cost-effective climate and
energy policies because it is not only about climate and energy,
but also about economic development and competitiveness.
When you look into the EU climate and energy package,
which sets the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by
40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990, increasing the share
of renewable energy sources to 27 percent and increasing energy
efficiency by at least 27 percent, it is a European package.
What I mean by that is that these EU targets are not
translated into national targets. What has to be done is to
ensure there is a governance framework to monitor how these
Europe-wide targets are going to be achieved. I think it will be
interesting to see how the new Commission will do this and
how energy security and especially security of electricity supply
will be improved.
NucNet: What do you think is the role of nuclear energy in
these plans?
Maria van der Hoeven: It is important to realise that nuclear
has been very important when it comes to the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear is one of the biggest lowcarbon
electricity sources and this should not be forgotten. It
provides 27 percent of the EU’s electricity and it will continue
to support the EU’s emission reduction goals until 2020.
However, after 2020 we are expecting the shutdown of the
German nuclear fleet, with Belgium and Switzerland following.
By that time, decisions will need to be taken. We have an
ageing EU reactor fleet which requires country-level and
owner/operator-level decisions in the short term regarding
plant safety regulations, plant upgrades, uprates, lifetime extensions
and licence renewals. I think upgrading and uprating
existing nuclear plants is one of the cheapest ways of producing
carbon-free electricity in the EU. Without long-term
operation, we expect nuclear capacity in the EU could fall by
a factor of six by 2030 and that will make it more difficult to
achieve the EU’s 2030 targets.
designs. We are in favour of an EU-wide nuclear design approval
process, combined with appropriate market mechanisms
to help investment decisions. In our view, the EU should
ensure that those member states that wish to maintain the
nuclear option can invest in new nuclear. They should benefit
from the same incentives as other low-carbon generating
technologies. Nuclear should not be put at a disadvantage under
the new state aid rules.
NucNet: What are the biggest challenges the EU faces related
to nuclear energy in the coming decades?
Maria van der Hoeven: The biggest challenge will be the decommissioning.
The primary issue with this is waste management.
There is no nuclear repository in place for long-lived
nuclear waste. Another challenge is the risk to energy security.
Particular attention should be paid to investments in new
nuclear power plants to be built in the EU using third-country
technology providers to ensure that these plants are not
bound to one supplier of nuclear fuel. The possibility of fuel
supply diversification, ensured by the Euratom Supply
Agency, should be a condition for any new investment. This
would contribute to a diversified portfolio of fuel supply in the
interest of all EU plant operators.
NucNet: Why do you think there is still a “sensitivity” regarding
nuclear in European public opinion?
Maria van der Hoeven: We want to acknowledge that there
is considerable sensitivity around nuclear energy. The same is
true for shale gas and carbon capture and storage. This sensitivity
to nuclear is not on the same level in all IEA member
countries. For example, Austria and the Czech Republic
clearly do not share the same view.
Europe is very sensitive to almost all forms of energy, including
wind turbines and solar panels. This is linked to a lack of
information, so we need more and better transparency on information
for people. Because of differences in the perception
of costs, benefits and risks, each member state closely guards
its sovereignty over its nuclear power industry. The EU should
contribute to transparency across the Union.
Background
The IEA report “Energy Policies of IEA Countries: European
Union – 2014” was published on 1 December 2014. Recommendations
in the report build on lessons learned since the
first IEA in-depth review of the European Union in 2008.
An executive summary of the report is online: www.iea.
org/Textbase/npsum/EU2014SUM.pdf
Maria van der Hoeven became executive director of the IEA
on 1 September 2011. Previously, Ms. Van der Hoeven
served as a minister in the government of the Netherlands
from 2002 to 2010.
NucNet: What role does the EU have to play in ensuring
more investment in new nuclear?
Maria van der Hoeven: If the EU’s ageing reactor fleet is going
to be decommissioned, then a decision has to be taken as
to whether investments in new nuclear will be made. To help
these investment decisions we need changes. For instance,
there is no EU-wide licencing of new nuclear power plant
Author
NucNet
The World’s Independent Communications Network
for Nuclear Energy and Ionising Radiation
Editor responsible for this story: Lubomir Mitev
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