IN LAGOS: As the European Union (EU) phases out polluting fossil fuels, more focus is turning towards low-emissions technologies like nuclear energy.
The European Commission is working closely with EU countries to uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety, radiation protection, security, and non-proliferation.
Nuclear energy is considered vital for global decarbonisation and energy security, providing a continuous baseload supply of carbon-free electricity.
What is considered most vital about nuclear power plants are the chimneys, which are cooling towers. They appear to emit big clouds of white smoke, which is evaporated water.
Nuclear energy is considered among the lowest carbon-emitting sources of electricity as it produces virtually no greenhouse gases during operation, only emitting minimal carbon dioxide (CO2) over its entire lifecycle.
In the EU
The commission says that in 2024, nuclear power plants generated 23.3% of the electricity produced in the EU. Since 2023, electricity generation from nuclear power plants has increased, with a 4.8% year-on-year growth rate in 2024.
In the EU, 12 countries have nuclear power plants in operation, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Spain, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden.
In certain EU countries, nuclear energy accounted for a large portion of their power production, with France (67%) and Slovakia (62%) being the most reliant on nuclear energy for their electricity production.
Nuclear waste
The commission reveals that if a single person relied solely on nuclear-generated electricity for their entire lifetime, it would generate about 2kg of spent fuel and up to 100kg of radioactive waste.
Spent fuel and 0.2% of radioactive waste volume require disposal in deep geological formations in order to ensure long-term safety. For example, in Finland, the Onkalo deep geological repository is located over 400m underground in bedrock.
Radioactive waste is treated and conditioned, and often, waste volume reduction measures are used. Spent fuel can be reprocessed to recycle reusable fuel components. This reduces the amount of spent fuel to be managed.
However, the commission notes it should not be forgotten that the by-product of that is also high-level waste, which needs to be disposed of. Advanced reactor concepts could further reduce the amount and long-term radiotoxicity of high-level waste.
Every management step is carefully monitored and regulated, in line with high nuclear safety and safeguard standards. The commission says national nuclear safety authorities oversee the work of nuclear power plant operators and waste management organisations to secure safe and reliable management of radioactive waste.
All EU countries have national programs for spent fuel and radioactive waste management in place and are continuously developing them.
Engineered for safety
When it comes to designing and operating nuclear power plants, protection from radiation is also at the centre of the process. Nuclear power plants in the EU are subject to strict nuclear safety standards, with systems in place to protect workers, the environment, and the public.
Nuclear power plants have been in operation for over 50 years, with all the data collected over the decades. Any radiation observed can be compared to, or are even lower than, those from natural background radiation — such as sun rays, radioactive minerals present on earth, medical imaging, or air travel.
In the wake of Fukushima, the EU introduced rigorous nuclear safety assessment for all nuclear reactors, assessing resilience against extreme natural hazards and other risks.
The Euratom legal framework has evolved to reflect the lessons learned and the principle of continuous improvement of nuclear safety. Regular peer reviews and transparency requirements further reinforce accountability across EU countries.
Nuclear fusion
Unlike nuclear fission, which splits atoms, nuclear fusion is a process aiming to combine atoms. Over the past 60 years, scientists have made progress to master nuclear fusion in terrestrial conditions, as reported by the commission.
Research has focused on improving fusion reactions to narrow down most promising technologies, and there is now a global race to develop a commercial fusion power plant and connect it to the grid.
The EU is considered the biggest contributor and hosts some of the world’s largest experimental fusion reactors, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in southern France. ITER aims to show that a large-scale fusion reactor can produce more energy than what it needs to operate.
A fusion reactor does not produce any long-lived, high-level radioactive waste, and is inherently safe to operate. If power is lost, the fusion process stops as it requires steady external energy input to run.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Unsplash
