Resolution on No new nuclear power in Europe

No new nuclear power in Europe!

Background

European Greens firmly believe in a nuclear free Europe.

In the Green Manifesto 2009 - we emphasised that “uranium is a finite fuel source and the EU is overwhelmingly dependent on imports from unstable countries, so nuclear is clearly not the answer to our long term energy security. On top of this, the associated risks of nuclear are as real now as they have always been, whether in terms of operation, fuel production or managing nuclear waste”.

In the Green Common Manifesto European Elections 2014 we highlighted that “Nuclear power is expensive and risky, increases the danger of spreading of nuclear weapons and has no part to play in Europe’s energy mix. … (We) renew our engagement to phase-out nuclear energy in Europe while making sure this does not increase carbon emissions. We must shut down the most risky power plants immediately, end direct and indirect subsidies and insist that existing operators bear full liability for the damage and fall-out from nuclear accidents”.

Whereas the European Union is the leading force of the sustainable transformation of energy policies globally, there are several plans to enlarge existing nuclear power plants or to build new ones in Europe

After the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia, nuclear power projects in Europe involving the state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom are most questionable. The expansion plans of Paks in Hungary, Belene in Bulgaria and Temelin in the Czech Republic and green-field projects Fennovoima in Finland and Akkuyu in Turkey all involve Rosatom in terms that are clearly political rather than commercial.

International experiences show that state supported nuclear power plant investments tend to be more expensive than the original budget. In countries with weak governmental accountability and lack of transparency of public finances nuclear power plant investments can become major field of corruption.

It seems that the European Commission is willing to support financially the construction of Hinkley Point C, a new nuclear power plant in Great Britain. The proposed support regime contravenes the assertion by the nuclear lobby that nuclear energy is mature and economically competitive on its own right. Nuclear power companies must bear full financial responsibilities on environmental risks and hazards of the whole lifespan of nuclear power plants, including nuclear fuel and waste.

In Hungary the running project of Paks II Nuclear Power Plant enlargement is financed by a Russian state loan of 10 billion EUR with a repay period from the beginning of construction until 2047.

Any investment in nuclear power plants competes with the energy saving sector and the renewable energy sector and would hinder the development of wind, solar and sustainable biomass sector for several decades. There are ample opportunities to invest in alternatives to nuclear energy, which – at the same time – do not increase our dependence on fossil fuels. Furthermore, nuclear power cannot be deployed as quickly as renewable generation sources and certainly not fast enough to meet the urgent targets of decarbonisation of the energy sector needed. Claims that nuclear power is an effective 'transitional' solution to a low carbon future are therefore misleading.

The European Green Party Council in Istanbul,

1. Commits to fight against all plans for sustaining, enlarging or building nuclear power plants across Europe. We need all our forces and keep together in order to win this fight. And we call on the Green Members of the European Parliament and all our partners in Europe to support our goal!

2. Calls upon the European Union to include nuclear power in the Russian sanction lists.

3. Calls upon the governments of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary and Turkey to freeze and eventually cancel cooperation with Russia in the field of nuclear power.

4. Calls upon the European Union not to invest any financial support for nuclear power plants and to step up its investments in renewable energy.

5. Fully affirms that nuclear power has no part to play in effective emission reduction scenarios and calls on the EU member states to abandon nuclear from any programs for clean energy future.