16 Jun (NucNet): There are different ways of achieving a “low-carbon landscape” for Europe by 2050, but all should include nuclear energy, a report has concluded.
The report by Foratom, the trade association representing the European nuclear industry, details a vision of how nuclear energy will “contribute significantly” to the goal of achieving the low-carbon energy system that lies at the heart of the European Commission’s Energy 2020 Strategy.
The ‘Energy 2050 Roadmap: Contribution of Nuclear Energy’, published yesterday, represents the European nuclear industry’s official input to the European Commission’s Energy Roadmap 2050, which should be completed by the end of the year and establish a blueprint for a secure, competitive and low-carbon energy system by 2050.
The report features analysis carried out by Swiss research centre the Paul Scherrer Institute on the various energy scenarios that might achieve the low-carbon goal. It also includes recommendations to the EU and the European nuclear industry.
Foratom said: “The report’s main conclusion is that the different pathways leading to a low-carbon energy landscape by 2050, in particular those with a strong climate change component, all include nuclear energy.”
Commenting on the report’s findings, Foratom director-general Santiago San Antonio said nuclear energy is a vital building block for the construction of Europe’s low-carbon future.
“With increased political support and a sustained focus on security of supply, competitiveness and climate change, nuclear could provide the EU with up to 160-170 gigawatts of electricity in 2050,” he said. “This would maintain its current one-third share of the EU electricity generation market.”
The report is online:
http://www.foratom.org/download-center/doc_download/7934-energy-2050-roadmap.html
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Industry Calls On Europe To Avoid ‘Premature Policy Decisions’ (News in Brief No. 80, 24 March 2011)
Europe Agrees On Parameters For Nuclear Stress Tests (News in Brief No. 126, 25 May 2011)
