The President of the European Commission Acknowledged Europe's Strategic Mistake 0 8

The reduction of nuclear energy in Europe was a "strategic mistake," said the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. "In recent years, we have seen a global revival of nuclear energy. And Europe wants to be part of this revival," Deutsche Welle quotes her statements at the nuclear energy summit near Paris. According to her, the EU will promote the development of nuclear energy to ensure affordable and environmentally friendly energy supply for industry and the population.

"Therefore, today we are presenting a new European strategy for small modular reactors. Our goal is simple: we want this new technology to be ready for use in Europe by the early 2030s," emphasized von der Leyen. Europe should become a "global center for next-generation nuclear energy," added the head of the European Commission.

In practice, the "revival" is not happening yet. In 2025, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, four new reactors with a total capacity of 4.4 GW were commissioned worldwide: two in China and one each in India and Russia; meanwhile, seven reactors with a total capacity of 2.8 GW were decommissioned. Currently, there is no commercial nuclear reactor under construction on the entire American continent. In the European Union, the only facility under construction is the Mochovce-4 reactor in Slovakia. Its construction began in 1985.