The proposals set forward by the European Commission on the creation of a ‘European Green Deal’ – a copy of the proposals set forward by a group of far-left members of the US Congress – is missing a very important piece of the energy puzzle – nuclear energy. Throughout the entire set of proposals very little attention is paid to perhaps one of the most efficient sources of energy in the modern energy mix.
Nuclear energy is by far the most efficient and clean of all those available to us in Europe. Nuclear operates at an average capacity factor of 91% which beats other forms of energy by a substantial margin. Natural gas produces an average of 50% while coal produces energy at almost 59%. Wind power operates with a low 32% efficiency. The next closest to nuclear is geothermal energy which as it currently stands is only produced on a large scale in Italy, Turkey and, of course, Iceland.
Further to this, nuclear energy can also run for much longer on a single enriched uranium core, as opposed to coal, gas and oil which all require a steady flow of natural resources that are burnt out quickly. Equally wind and solar are weather dependent, and only work under certain circumstances.
It’s also not as though nuclear power is anything new. France has been operating on nuclear power for over 40 years, with nuclear power making up around 70% of its energy generation. By contrast, since Germany started to shut off its own nuclear power plants, it has seen a sharp increase in consumption of coal and natural gas – pushing dependence on Russia in the case of the latter.
The reality is, that despite nuclear being by far the most sensible option, the political narrative around it has been subverted over many years by the left and by misinformation from hostile powers.
Throughout the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, the anti-nuclear lobby blurred the lines for the distinction between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Groups like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Greenpeace worked with the far left across Europe to try and prevent the growth of nuclear power. Throughout this period evidence emerged of many on the left receiving help and financing from the Soviet Union, who wanted to limit European energy independence.
In Austria, in the 1970s, a referendum was held on the issue of nuclear power and narrowly lost. Again the results of which were manipulated by the raising of false concerns of safety. To this day Austria is dependent on burning natural gas. Equally, Austria still remains committed to the notion that it won’t use nuclear power.
In more recent years, the German green left bullied the government into shutting down their own nuclear power plants despite the fact that the science was on the side of atomic energy. This was of course despite initial support for nuclear power by figures such as Angela Merkel who recognised the need to move away from Russian energy dependence in the markets of oil and gas. The aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster helped to spread an anti-nuclear message – despite the fact that there were no concerns for nuclear safety in Europe at the time, and that the reactor had been near a major fault line by the sea.
If the European Union truly wants to achieve its aim of being carbon neutral by 2050, then it must embrace all clean technologies, not just the ones that are endorsed by the eco-socialists. Nuclear energy is clean and efficient and could go a long way to ensuring European energy independence and carbon neutrality.
*Join the European Conservatives and Reformists Party “Europe Debates” series discussing the European Green Deal, taking place 14:00 CET on Thursday 21st of May 2020. Follow ECR Party on Facebook and Twitter for updates.