Speech by Commissioner Simson at the plenary meeting of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG)

Speech by Simson at ENSREG plenary meeting

Thank you Chair,

Good afternoon, everybody,

I'm delighted to join you today and take up the opportunity to address you.

It's not often that I get to address a room full of nuclear safety experts.

So let me first say thank you.

Thank you for all the work you do to preserve the highest levels of nuclear safety. For your dedication and for your efforts in delivering on ENSREG objectives.

Your work is crucial. And it will continue to be so.

The last time that I addressed you was at the ENSREG safety conference, in June 2022.

That was almost two years ago – a period of tough challenges, but at the same time historical opportunities.

So it is very timely for us to gather here at the start of this week's series of meetings on nuclear.

Tomorrow we'll have the first Nuclear Energy Summit and on Friday the launch of the EU Alliance for Small Modular Reactors.

This sequence of meetings shows how the momentum around nuclear energy is growing in the EU and globally.

Today I'll talk more about the role of nuclear energy in the EU's decarbonisation agenda, how critical nuclear safety is for successfully delivering this agenda, and why your role is so important.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Just this afternoon, I landed back from the US.

I was there to co-chair the EU-US Energy Council and take part in CERAWeek. And one thing that stood out during my visit was the considerable focus on nuclear technologies, including advanced modular reactors and fusion.

There is a strong interest to intensify transatlantic cooperation on nuclear.

This is just one of many examples of the resurgence of nuclear energy worldwide.

At COP28 last December, a number of states adopted a declaration to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050.

IEA expects 29 GWs of new nuclear capacity to come online globally by 2026.

And in the EU, our decarbonisation agenda is further driving the development of nuclear energy.

Last month, the Commission published the 2040 Climate Target Plan, which recommends an intermediate carbon emission reduction target of minus 90%.

Seen from the energy portfolio, this target is not a long shot.

It is cost-effective and feasible.

But it requires using all zero and low carbon energy solutions – including nuclear technologies.

Amid this global and EU revival of nuclear energy, I cannot overstate the importance of nuclear safety.

Nuclear safety at the highest level is a pre-requisite for the use of nuclear power in the EU.

Europe already has a first-class framework with the highest standards for safety worldwide.

It's something we never stop working on: we're constantly monitoring, enforcing, and updating those standards.

Just last December, the Commission put out a proposal to revise rules for the application of Euratom safeguards.

But the credit goes to ENSREG for the great job it does in guaranteeing nuclear safety in Europe and our neighbourhood.

You play a central and critical role.

You conduct regular peer reviews of nuclear installations.

You support countries in the EU's neighbourhood and beyond in their efforts to improve nuclear safety following EU stress tests and peer reviews.

You've done some great work in Belarus, before contacts were frozen there.

You're doing the same now in Akkuyu in Türkiye and other sites.

And this brings me to Ukraine.

I would like to applaud the Ukrainian nuclear safety authority and operator.

Thank you for your commitment to nuclear safety, for your cooperation with EU counterparts, for continuing at the highest standard as usual – despite the huge challenge of being under attack from the aggressor.

It's an inspiring example of dedication and resilience for all of us.

What is happening in Ukraine carries a stark reminder for all of us.

If there is one thing that could hit the brakes on the resurgence of nuclear energy, in Europe and perhaps globally, it would be an incident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

What is happening in Zaporizhzhia is reckless and cannot be accepted by the international community. We all need to be very loud in sending this message.

I am very concerned about the situation on the ground, and I'll be discussing this with IAEA Director General Grossi when meeting him this week.

Of course we need to do our best to contain the risks for as long as this situation continues.

A few days after the start of the war, ENSREG held its first extraordinary meeting on potential risks to nuclear safety and the ways it could support Ukraine. It grew into regular exchanges to help Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety.

On our side, we are also inviting Ukraine to join the ECURIE – our framework for early exchange of information in the event of a radiological emergency.

More broadly, the EU is committed to promoting a review of international legal frameworks.

We need to project our commitment to the highest safety worldwide and promote them internationally.

We also need to be more effective in how we stop armed attacks on nuclear installations devoted to peaceful purposes.

Along with HRVP Borrell, we have launched an international reflection on how to strengthen the legal framework for regulating nuclear assets during armed conflicts.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There are two other dimensions of safety where your role as nuclear safety regulators is key.

The first dimension concerns our efforts to diversify supply chains away from unreliable suppliers.

As part of our REPower EU Plan, we are keen to have properly licenced alternatives to Russian nuclear fuels for the VVER reactors by 2026.

We need the industry and Member States to develop sustainable and, where possible, domestic supply chains.

We'll be counting on you to ensure that any diversification measure falling under your competence is in full compliance with nuclear safety requirements and can be processed swiftly.

The second dimension concerns new nuclear technologies such as SMRs and fusion.

As the energy transition picks up speed, we're seeing opportunities for the EU nuclear industry in developing and deploying new and innovative nuclear technologies.

This will require having a competitive industry and sustainable supply chains, especially when it comes to the market for emerging technologies.

To help bring this about, the Commission has launched an EU Industrial Alliance with the aim of deploying the first small modular reactors by the start of the next decade.

The focus is on small modular reactors because we see these as the nuclear technologies with the most flexibility.

But of course, this should be done according to the highest safety and environmental standards.

And here again, we'll be counting on ENSREG.

I hope the new Alliance can interact with nuclear regulatory authorities, while not impinging on regulators' independence.

I know some of you were involved in the SMR pre-partnership work on licencing.

Thank you for your input.

I hope this week's meetings can further address how ENSREG and the SMR Industrial Alliance interact in the future.

And the EU's leading role on fusion also means that we need to be proactive in developing a regulatory framework for this technology.

In this respect, ENSREG would be a good platform for first exchanges among regulators.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Everything I have just spoken about shows just how much Europe needs strong nuclear safety regulators.

Without strong, independent regulators, we will not develop nuclear energy at the speed we need it to help us decarbonise and reach net-zero by 2050.

We will do our utmost to support your independence as you acquire new roles and perform key functions.

Two years ago, I stressed the need to support each other in the face of current and future challenges.

This conclusion is even more valid today.

Together, we can turn these challenges into an opportunity to prosper. Together we can build an innovative, dynamic and safe nuclear sector for Europe.

I thank you for your incredible work and I look forward to working closely with you all over the next months.