Nuclear Power: The EU's Dilemma

On March 11, 2011, Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a severe nuclear leak due to the tsunami triggered by the earthquake. This incident has eclipsed the global nuclear power outlook and the nuclear power project of the EU and its member states has also been affected. First, the Chernobyl nuclear leak occurred in 1986. Although the actual impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident on EU countries was small, it had a major impact on its nuclear power policy. Secondly, the occurrence of the nuclear accident at Fukushima caused the European public to doubt the highly safe nuclear power stations in the media. Finally, the EU countries face the dilemma of ensuring the supply of electricity and reducing the share of nuclear power.

At present, there are 143 nuclear power plants in the European Union and are distributed in 14 countries. Among them, there are 58 in France, 19 in England and 17 in Germany. The Fukushima nuclear accident had a major impact on the nuclear power development plans of EU countries. After the Fukushima nuclear accident occurred, more than 60% of German citizens thought that they should "close the nuclear power plant as soon as possible." In response to domestic pressure and the anti-nuclear power tradition, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on March 15, 2011 that it would shut down the seven nuclear power stations built before 1980 and gradually shut down all nuclear power stations in the country by 2020. Switzerland also followed the steps of Germany and decided to gradually shut down all its nuclear power plants. The Berlusconi government of Italy originally tried to decide whether to restart the nuclear power program through a referendum in June 2011. However, due to the impact of the Fukushima nuclear power accident, on March 23, 2011, it was announced to postpone the discussion on the restart of the nuclear power program for one year. In the subsequent referendum, the Italian people rejected plans to restart nuclear power development. In November 2011, Belgium’s political parties had conditions to close the two nuclear power plants in use in the country to reach an agreement. Although France unequivocally stated that it would not abandon the plan for the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants, Sarkozy, then president of France, stated on March 25, 2011 that “the events in Japan call on the world to make new judgments on nuclear energy policy” and it is clear Indicate that nuclear power plants that fail the EU safety inspection should be closed immediately. On March 17, 2011, the British government also asked the nuclear safety supervision department to investigate the lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident. Other European countries such as Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic still hold supportive attitude towards the development of nuclear power. However, under the background of the general public’s opposition to nuclear power construction in Europe, the EU’s nuclear power program has inevitably been greatly affected.

Faced with the impact of the Fukushima nuclear power accident, EU member states adopted different countermeasures for different situations and the current status of nuclear power development in the country, striving to meet the demands and voices of the domestic people, and to adapt to the reality of the development of nuclear power in the country. It is necessary to coordinate the contradiction between the country’s electricity supply and the reduction in the share of nuclear power. In addition, the EU has also adopted a series of measures to ensure the rational and orderly development of nuclear power in the EU.

France resolutely defends the development of nuclear power and takes corresponding measures to deal with the impact of the nuclear accident at Fukushima. The first is to strengthen safety management and improve the stability and reliability of nuclear power plants. On the one hand, the French government stated that France refuses to give up its plan for the development of nuclear power, while the French power company announced that it will invest 10 billion euros to strengthen the safety of nuclear power plants. Second, on the basis of the participation of all parties, through the promulgation of a series of laws, such as "Energy," "Information Security and Nuclear Power Safety Law", etc., for the construction and development of nuclear energy escort. Third, through information transparency, as far as possible to eliminate the public's doubts and unease about nuclear power. EDF often organizes the public and media to visit nuclear power plants and nuclear power facilities to spread the knowledge of nuclear power to the society and the general public, introduce the unique advantages and safety of nuclear power, and win the support of many French public.

Germany explicitly announced its abandonment of nuclear energy, but how to make up for the resulting energy gap is a problem. 80% of Germany's energy comes from coal-fired energy and nuclear energy. In order to make up for the nuclear energy gap, Germany plans to vigorously develop renewable energy. In order to realize energy transformation, Germany has promulgated or amended a number of laws and regulations and increased investment in renewable energy. In 2010, the total investment in the field of renewable energy in Germany was 26 billion euros. In addition, improving energy efficiency and reducing energy demand are also important aspects of solving this problem. The energy consumed by German buildings accounts for about 40% of the total energy consumption, and the federal government invests 1.5 billion euros per year in building energy efficiency. Giving up nuclear energy is a major change in Germany’s energy policy and is also a choice made by Germany based on realities. Germany’s Minister of the Environment, Rotgen, said that Germany’s choice of “abandoning nuclear” is of great significance not only in social policy and economic policy but also in foreign policy.

At the EU level, a series of measures have also been introduced to guide and regulate the development of nuclear power. The first is to promote nuclear power station stress testing. The test was launched on June 1, 2011, and an interim investigation report was issued at the end of November. The stress test report shows that "the European nuclear power plants lack consistency in handling safety margins." The European Union’s nuclear energy security lacks a unified maintenance mechanism, and its safety responsibilities have been dispersed to many different departments, resulting in a poor ability to cope with disasters. At the same time, “the nuclear power plants in EU countries do not have common safety standards or guidelines.” Different safety standards among different countries cannot cope with common nuclear disasters. The second is to advocate the establishment of a "new European nuclear safety system." The key issues such as strengthening the coordination of nuclear safety in member states, strengthening the establishment of nuclear safety regulations at the EU level, and improving the independence of national regulatory agencies are discussed. Third, the EU advocates the prompt closure of nuclear power plants that use technology from the Soviet Union as soon as possible. On November 24, 2011, the European Union announced its support for Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia to shut down such nuclear power plants and provide 500 million euros in aid.

Judging from the above-mentioned measures taken by the EU and its member states in the face of the impact of the Fukushima nuclear power accident, the EU and its member states proceed from their own reality and formulate their own needs based on consideration of public opinion and weighing the pros and cons. Neither the Fukushima nuclear power accident nor the shutting down of all nuclear power projects was immediately completed, but neither the Fukushima nuclear power accident nor the lessons of the nuclear power accident have been fully learned. The nuclear power project has been strengthened and the alternative energy for nuclear power has been actively pursued. This has led to nuclear power. The foundation for the orderly, normative development or gradual closure.