ZAGREB, 21 March (Hina) – The Nuclear Energy Summit is an opportunity to share experiences in using nuclear energy in the context of decarbonization and to see if it can be financed with European funds, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Brussels on Thursday.
“It’s important how we will use nuclear energy in the future. That’s especially important for Croatia as a 50% owner of the Krško nuclear power plant, from which we cover 15 to 20 percent of our electricity needs, and we must certainly see in the future how best and easiest to finance nuclear energy with European funds,” he said at the first global nuclear energy summit.
Asked if nuclear energy could be considered a renewable energy source, he said they were “compatible.”
The summit brought together 20 prime ministers, numerous delegations, experts, and heads of nuclear power plants with the aim of promoting the role of nuclear power in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The summit is co-chaired by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the summit that nuclear energy could help in the energy transition.
“As everyone is aware, there are different views across the European Union on nuclear power. But I am here because I believe that, in countries that are open to the technology, nuclear technologies can play an important role in clean energy transitions,” she said.
“After the global energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many countries are giving a fresh look to the potential role that nuclear might play,” she added.