Club Med hears support for nuclear
At a summit 'for the Mediterranean' hosted in the French capital, the leaders from 27 nations around the sea and from the European Union convened. Energy strategy was a key topic.
(Image: Elysée / D Noizet)
At a summit 'for the Mediterranean' hosted in the French capital, the leaders from 27 nations around the sea and from the European Union convened. Energy strategy was a key topic.
The idea of a union of countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is a French initiative, brought forward by President Nicolas Sarkozy. A parallel scheme has been French efforts to conclude nuclear cooperation agreements with nations in the region.
Pro-nuclear sentiment was evident in and around the summit from leaders of major European countries, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian President Silvio Berlusconi and UK prime minister Gordon Brown as well as Sarkozy.
Berlusconi said current oil prices were causing an emergency and said discussions at this year's London energy summit should fix a maximum price for oil. The alternative, he said, would be a massive program of nuclear build.
Merkel commented to the Bild am Sontag newspaper that although she did not think nuclear energy alone could solve the climate change problem, "we will not be able to ensure our supply for the forseeable future in a way that protects the climate without atomic energy." A fresh debate is gathering pace in Germany in advance of next year's general election, when the Nuclear Exit Law is expected to be challenged by major parties.
Brown perhaps went furthest of all. His speech to the summit on 13 July rated replacement of Britain's nuclear power plants as the second most important step for Britain after a reduction in oil demand by a switch to electric road transport and huge improvements in efficiency. A widespread move to electric transport would require large volumes of stable, off-peak, low-carbon electricity in addition to current demand. An obvious option for providing this would be new nuclear power plants.
Brown said, "The years of cheap energy and careless pollution are behind us. We need a new strategy. Past total dependence on oil must give way to a clean energy future."
"I am convinced that we need a renaissance of nuclear power. Britain is now moving quickly to replace its ageing fleet of nuclear power stations. And all around the world I see renewed interest in this technology, as countries contemplate the alternative - continued oil dependence and unchecked climate change."
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