About
Established in 2016, the working group on nuclear safety supports the European Green Deal goal of decarbonisation by 2050.
The European nuclear industry and its research and innovation (R&I) community have a long history of providing excellence and benefits to European citizens. Nuclear energy is currently the largest single supplier of low-carbon electricity in the EU, ensuring security of supply and independence from third countries. Beyond being a power supplier, nuclear technology plays a key role in:
- the medical sector, particularly in diagnosing and treating cancer thus supporting Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan
- industry, space and agriculture
- innovating new digital applications such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and the internet of things (IOT)
- enhancing the operation and security of the European electrical grid, together with variable renewables and storage. By developing innovative and cross-cutting applications, nuclear serves a wide range of the R&I domains on which the EU places its focus.
Targets and objectives
The Implementation Working Group (IWG) on nuclear safety aims to support the objectives of the European Green Deal and the goal of decarbonisation by 2050, through collaborative research and innovation. Key objectives include:
- maintaining a high level of safety
- enhancing efficiency and developing new applications for nuclear reactors, technologies and associated fuel cycles.
For 2030, the goal is to maintain the European fleet of reactors offering reliable, low-carbon energy, and to develop applications further in areas such as industrial process heat and co-generation plants. The development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMR) with enhanced functionality and applications will improve the European energy system and support the decarbonisation of industrial end-users. The ultimate objective is to develop reactor designs, offering increased efficiency of uranium resources and reduced generation of long-lived waste.
The implementation plan provides a detailed outline of 10 main R&I activities grouped in four areas:
- nuclear safety
- radioactive waste management
- efficiency and competitiveness
- fusion.
The working group has new targets to align the Implementation Plan with the EU Green Deal:
- Exploring alternative nuclear applications: This includes hydrogen production, process heat for heavy industry, district heating and medical applications in addition to reliable, flexible and sustainable electricity generation. This allows the stability of the EU-grid, independence, competitiveness and a low-carbon source of energy.
- Developing new smart technologies, processes and synergies: This includes new designs such as small, modular and advanced reactors with the potential to close the fuel cycle, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, new manufacturing routes, and harmonisation of codes and standards.
- Focusing on key enablers to deliver the IWG ambitions: This includes EU high quality skills and competences, R&D infrastructures, knowledge management and international cooperation.
Composition
The group is co-chaired by Czechia, Finland, France and Poland and includes 14 other European countries. In addition, this working group is supported by the ETIP on Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP).
Participating SET Plan countries (in alphabetical order):
Secretariat: As previously discussed, table to be updated by the Secretariat. We’d recommend alternative formatting to the table - either present the countries in a plain paragraph, or as bullet points.
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia (Co-chair)
- Finland (Co-chair)
- France (Co-chair)
- Hungary
- Iceland (Observer)
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Netherlands
- Poland (Co-chair)
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Türkiye (Associated Country)
