EU chief: Phasing out nuclear power was 'strategic mistake'
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that Europe’s turn away from nuclear power had been a “strategic mistake” that was now exposed by the Iran war.
At the opening of a nuclear energy summit near Paris, von der Leyen said the bloc had “turned its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emission power.”
“For fossil fuels, we are completely dependent on expensive and volatile imports. They are putting us at a structural disadvantage to other regions,” she added.
It comes as the US-Israeli war against Iran has damaged major oil refineries and led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a shipping route that is a major chokepoint for the world’s oil supply.
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Von der Leyen called the war “a stark reminder” of the vulnerabilities that come with being dependent on fossil fuel imports.
She said nuclear power, along with renewable energy sources like solar or wind, can become “joint guarantors of independence, security of supply, and competitiveness — if we get it right.”
More to follow….