The war with Iran has prompted many economies to reevaluate their energy needs and strategy. In Europe, several countries are considering reviving the use of nuclear power. Sweden, Belgium, and Italy are among those rolling back previous restrictions, while France and the UK are spearheading new nuclear projects.
Valérie Faudon, executive director of the French Nuclear Energy Society (SFEN) says the industry has to overcome sometimes negative public perceptions by proving that nuclear energy is safe. "It's one of the safest means of producing energy, in the same way that airplanes are one of the safest means of transportation. So the way the industry has addressed this is first by major transparency of events, and also very strong controls over the industry."
She says nuclear power can address two of Europe's biggest concerns when it comes to energy – sustainability and independence. "It's a low carbon source," she explains. "It doesn't produce any greenhouse gases during production, fission doesn't produce CO2."
European countries also have the technology and manpower to be self-sufficient as they expand their nuclear power generation, according to Faudon. "We have about half a million skilled workers in Europe to build nuclear plants. If you take France, we are completely independent. That means we can build our own facilities – we have the factories and engineering centres to build our own equipment. And we also have our whole supply chain, to take uranium ore and transform it into usable nuclear fuel, which is very important."
Also in the show, we bring you a report about how China's investment in low-cost reactors is turning it into a nuclear energy powerhouse.
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