15 EU member states now back nuclear energy

Brussels, March 17 (MTI) – There are now 15 EU member states that back nuclear energy, and the viewpoint of those who see nuclear energy as key to sustainable and affordable energy in Europe is getting stronger, Hungary’s energy minister said after a meeting of EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday.

Compared with the US, gas is around four times as expensive as the European wholesale market, while electricity is twice as expensive, Csaba Lantos told a press conference, adding “this is basically a competitiveness issue”.

Developing a unified European electricity network, he said, was “crucial”, noting that even though significant progress had been made to integrate renewable energy sources, weather dependence was still “a problem”. A big question for largely import-dependent Europe was how to ensure affordable energy prices for both households and companies on a permanent basis, Lantos said. Energy security, he added, has become a priority issue in Europe, especially in light of the Nord Stream pipeline explosion and other similar disruptions.

The minister said a new “energy wall” in Eastern Europe in the form of infrastructure bottlenecks was stopping western electricity from reaching the Balkans. He called for gaps in the network to be filled and for investments in both gas pipelines and the electricity grid to take place in order to boost competitiveness and the security of supplies.

Preparations for the distribution of EU monies in the next seven-year cycle focuses on two key issues, he said, noting the development of network link-ups and energy storage, with a focus on handling periods when there is no wind and no sun. “Such situations currently pose a serious challenge, as Europe does not yet have adequate energy storage capacity,” he added.

As we wrote a few days ago, Druzhba pipeline oil deliveries suspended due to drone strike, details HERE.

As we wrote last Monday, Hungarian government hosted the energy ministers of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania at a meeting to discuss the Green Energy Corridor, an initiative to bring green energy from the South Caucasus to Europe, details HERE.

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