Nuclear policy: at national or at EU level?

Cooperation on nuclear safety and waste management

The new EU High Level Group on nuclear safety and waste management held its first meeting on October 12. Whether or not one supports nuclear energy, the Group is an initiative that can only be welcomed. Nuclear waste is a clear and present problem and urgently needs a solution. Moreover, it is certainly preferable that countries developing new nuclear plants, such as Bulgaria, Finland, France, and Romania, do so under agreed safety conditions. Since safety concerns don’t stop at national borders, it is sound that the High Level Group contains representatives from both member states that operate nuclear plants and member states that don’t.

EU divided on nuclear future

At the press conference following the first meeting of the Group, EU Energy Commissioner Piebalgs told reporters that 'a lively debate' characterized the meeting. This is no surprise, given the diametrically opposed positions of countries like France and Finland on one side and Denmark and Austria on the other. It is these differences of opinion (see previous blog post 'Incarnation of evil or saviour of the planet?') that make a common EU standpoint on the future of nuclear energy highly unlikely anytime in the next ten years. Piebalgs confirmed this by declaring that nuclear energy is 'clearly in the competence that lies with the member states' although he also stated that 'nuclear [energy] is here to stay'.

Italy having foreign affairs

The lack of common EU position doesn’t necessarily need to be a problem. But since the energy market and the energy grid are united, the differences in nuclear policies between countries can lead to strange situations.

Take Italy, for instance. Following a referendum in 1987, shortly after the Tsjernobyl accident, Italy shut down all of its reactors and placed a moratorium on new plants. This moratorium will not be cancelled any time soon. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi recently confirmed that 'the political conditions for rediscussing nuclear power do not exist'.

But on the other hand, Italy is very active in international research groups studying generation III and IV nuclear reactors. Italy also imports about 15,000 GWh of nuclear energy from France annually. And Italy’s former state-owned power company ENEL is very active in nuclear energy outside Italy’s borders. After taking over of 67 per cent of the shares of the Spanish company ENDESA, ENEL now controls about 3,000 MW of nuclear reactors in Spain. ENEL also has a 66 per cent ownership in Slovakia’s Slovenske Elektrarne, which operates 2,400 MW of nuclear capacity and is building two new 440 MW nuclear reactors. Moreover, ENEL has expressed interest in building new nuclear capacity in Bulgaria (2,000 MW) and Romania (1,400 MW).

When it comes to nuclear energy, it seems that Italy has only foreign affairs, which is hardly the same as saying that it has no affairs at all.