PRAGUE (Thomson Financial) - European power companies called for EU-wide moves to ease the way for new nuclear plants at a forum in Prague on Friday, highlighting the security and climate-change dangers of a failure to act.
'We have a barrel of oil costing 135 dollars a barrel, it is urgent to act. Industry cannot wait for a gradual approach to lead to convergence (in harmonised safety rules),' warned Electricite de France board member Bruno Lescoeur on the second day of the European Nuclear Energy Forum.
European power companies are calling for moves to standardise certification procedures for building new nuclear plants as Europe faces the challenge of replacing many coming to the end of their lifespan.
Their views are being put at a major meeting here, bringing together industry regulators, politicians and power companies.
'We have to renew 50 percent of electricity production in the EU between now and 2030. This is one of the major problems we face,' warned European Parliament member Nicole Fontaine.
A patchwork of technical rules for the plants, sites and construction exist across the EU at the moment, braking construction of new nuclear plants.
'At the moment you can count on five years to get permission to build a plant and another five to built it,' Dr. Werner Zaiss, of the pro-nuclear atomic group, Foratom, told Agence France-Presse.
Common rules would also save millions of euros by allowing standard plants to be built across Europe and the world, he added.
Board member of German power company, RWE AG, Gerd Jager said the challenge of entering the new field of European harmonisation must be faced. 'We must go there. It brings the possibility of increasing public acceptance and stability and strengthens Europe's role in nuclear power.'
'There is the risk that we are losing time. In 2020 we have very ambitious carbon targets. We have to have successful nuclear projects at least to replace decommissioned units if to meet carbon targets at EU level,' he added.
The EU Commission has proposed a set of ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions as part of its climate and energy package which member states are expected to agree by the end of the year. tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com afp/ejp COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.
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