Nuclear energy is irreplaceable according to the new vice-president of the European Commission for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič from Slovakia. According to him, there is currently no way to replace a shortfall of nuclear generating capacity in the energy mix.
“We have nuclear power plants in sixteen countries, fourteen of them still see the future of the energy sector in a spectrum that will include a strong nuclear energy component”, Šefčovič said for the web portal vEnergetike.sk. The European Union leaves it up to the decision of every single member state whether to invest in nuclear power or not. The European Commission will only consider whether all rules of security are complied with and the highest safety standards respected. According to Šefčovič, the Commission may approve state subsidies for a nuclear power plant project. However, each case will be assessed individually. The country will have to convince the Commission that the situation cannot be resolved by market conditions and that if not addressed, large economic and energy problems could arise.
