The government in Athens is establishing an interministerial group responsible for scientific research and the development of a legal framework for the potential deployment of nuclear energy. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is championing small modular reactors. The country could reportedly participate in an investment round for the French EDF’s Nuward.
The initiative in Greece for considering the introduction of nuclear energy is beginning to take an institutional form. The government approved the establishment of an interministerial body to set up the stage for the process.
“More and more countries are turning to the solution of small modular reactors for generating electricity. It is a reality that we cannot ignore. We must, if nothing else, study it so that we have all the data at our disposal before reaching any decision,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the cabinet meeting. The goal is to conduct scientific research and define a framework so that Greece “does not lag behind” the developments on the international level, he explained.
Mitsotakis highlighted the potential of small modular reactors (SMRs) in a speech in March as well, when he claimed that the European Union’s shift away from nuclear energy was a strategic mistake.
Public acceptance is crucial
Energypress learned that the committee is planned to be established by autumn. It would prepare a comprehensive assessment report under the procedure of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It includes the establishment of an official nuclear energy programme implementing organization (NEPIO).
Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Nikos Tsafos is said to be seen as the coordinator and the body’s chief. Intensifying the public debate on nuclear energy would reportedly be the key factor, as the authorities have been avoiding the sensitive topic for decades.
EDF looking for investors for its SMR subsidiary Nuward
France’s state-owned energy utility EDF said it intends to find investors for its SMR business Nuward by the end of the year.
According to an earlier report, it could include future buyers of the technology. Potential investors could purportedly be countries such as Belgium, Finland, Poland, Greece and Italy.
Serbia, which already has a nuclear energy programme implementing organization, established a partnership with EDF and France’s development bank AFD
As for the rest of the region that Balkan Green Energy News covers, Serbia has already set up its NEPIO body. The Ministry of Mining and Energy has just signed a partnership agreement with French state-owned EDF and development bank AFD.
