In a leaked draft document obtained by Energy Post, the European Commission outlines the investments in the EU nuclear industry that it believes are needed out to 2050. The document, originally announced for last year, but off the table again for February, paints a challenging picture for the European nuclear industry. €450-550 billion will have to be spent on new plants and lifetime extensions, costs of decommissioning and waste management are high, competitiveness is a challenge and nuclear’s share in the energy mix will decline from 27% today to 17-21%.the Commission estimates that nuclear electricity generation capacity will decline by some 20% out to 2025, before growing again in the decade after as new reactors come online and lifetime extensions are pursued. Nuclear capacity would stabilise at 95-105 GWe by 2050. Since electricity demand is expected to go up, it would constitute 17-21% of electricity supply, down from 27% today. All these figures are in line with the analysis underpinning the EU’s 2030 climate and energy goals.
Energy Post 2nd Feb 2016 read more »