European Commission announces strategy for small modular reactors in Paris

During a nuclear energy summit in Paris on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new European strategy to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). Von der Leyen identified the previous reduction of nuclear power in the EU energy mix—from one-third in 1990 to 15% today—as a strategic mistake. She argued that nuclear energy is a vital complement to renewables, providing steady power to address high energy costs and dependency on volatile foreign fossil fuel imports. The Commission pledged €200 million from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to support private investments in SMR technology. The initiative includes the creation of regulatory 'sandboxes' and efforts to harmonize regulations across member states. The goal is to have these reactors operational by the early 2030s. While von der Leyen emphasized the necessity of this shift, German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider criticized the focus on nuclear power as a backward-looking strategy that ignores cheaper, safer renewable alternatives.