The EC will openly support nuclear power in Jan 10 statement

London (Platts)--28Dec2006

The EC will openly support nuclear power in an energy policy statement to
be released January 10, according to a report by the Paris daily Les Echos,
citing a draft of the statement.

The energy "package" is to be presented by Andris Piebalgs, the European
commissioner for energy, to the full European Commission and the European
Parliament. The document, according to the newspaper report, says nuclear
power is "the most developed" of non-carbon-emitting energy sources in the
European Union. It also is said to be the least vulnerable to price
fluctuations for fuel materials since the price of uranium represents only a
"limited portion" of the kilowatt-hour cost of electricity from nuclear
plants. Uranium is also widely available geographically with reserves for
several decades, the document says.

It's the first time that the EC has expressed open support for nuclear, which
is supposed to be phased out as a power source in at least three EU states.
According to Les Echos, the EC is also proposing a high-level group to set
common nuclear safety standards.

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