The EU Nuclear Alliance has urged the European Commission to step up with a bold vision, pushing for a detailed Affordable Energy Action Plan that weaves together renewables, steady baseload power, and flexible generation options – nuclear included. They’re calling for ambition, not half-measures, to tackle Europe’s energy puzzle head-on.

The European Commission describes its upcoming Affordable Energy Action Plan as a practical toolkit, packed with quick fixes to boost competitiveness, keep energy affordable, ensure supply security, and promote sustainability. It’s meant to slash energy bills right away while setting up a smarter, future-ready system that draws in investment and gets results. They’re gearing up to unveil it on February 26.

On February 18, the EU Nuclear Alliance – a group of 11 countries – sat down with the Commission to hash out the plan’s details. Afterward, they put out a statement that didn’t mince words.

Their take? Nuclear power’s perks ripple far beyond the borders of countries that embrace it. Low-carbon baseload sources like nuclear, they argue, keep Europe’s shared grid steady and the electricity market humming. “Without them,” the Alliance warns, “there’s no realistic way for the EU to deliver cheap, dependable, plentiful low-carbon energy to its people and hit net-zero by 2050.”

The Alliance pressed the Commission to spell out how it’ll stick to the “technology neutrality principle” – you know, giving every option a fair shot – and what it’s doing to build a supportive framework for rolling out new nuclear projects, including small modular reactors (SMRs), and keeping existing plants running longer.

The declaration came with signatures from folks representing Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden – a solid lineup pushing for nuclear’s place at the table.