Energising the EU: How Nuclear Energy Can Help Decarbonise European Industry

The document outlines how nuclear energy can support the decarbonisation of EU heavy industries, which account for over half of Europe's energy consumption. It highlights the benefits of nuclear-industrial co-location to provide 24/7 clean firm energy, high-temperature heat for processing, and synthetic fuel production. The text specifically promotes small modular reactors (SMRs) as a flexible solution for industrial clusters, citing planned projects in Poland and Romania. To accelerate this transition, the author recommends streamlined licensing, the formation of regional industrial 'buyers' clubs', and clear policy frameworks that recognise nuclear heat as a valid tool for industrial decarbonisation targets.

• Nuclear energy can address the specific needs of heavy industries, which require continuous power and high-temperature heat that are difficult to satisfy with variable renewables alone. It provides a 'clean firm energy source' capable of generating electricity and heat on-demand with a 'very high-capacity factor'.
• Nuclear-industrial co-location—siting nuclear plants in close proximity to energy-intensive facilities like data centres—reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers costs by avoiding 'transmission and distribution losses associated with importing energy from the grid'.
• Small modular reactors (SMRs) are identified as a key technology for industrial co-location because they can be factory-assembled and sited near industrial clusters with 'virtually no exclusion zone outside of the nuclear site boundary'. Current EU momentum includes ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) planning SMRs at six sites in Poland and Nuclearelectrica's Doicești SMR project in Romania, which plans to use six NuScale VOYGR modules at a former coal site.
• The document identifies several actionable paths to enable nuclear co-location, including the creation of 'buyers’ clubs' among industrial peers to coordinate reactor purchases, streamlined zoning and permitting, and government risk-sharing mechanisms like 'loan guarantees, tax incentives, or regulated revenue structures'.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Energising the EU: How Nuclear Energy Can Help Decarbonise European Industry. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/19093943/CATF_EUNuclearIndustrialDecarbonisationFactsheet.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Energising the EU: How Nuclear Energy Can Help Decarbonise European Industry. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/19093943/CATF_EUNuclearIndustrialDecarbonisationFactsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Energising the EU: How Nuclear Energy Can Help Decarbonise European Industry |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/19093943/CATF_EUNuclearIndustrialDecarbonisationFactsheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendenergising, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Energising the EU: How Nuclear Energy Can Help Decarbonise European Industry}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/19093943/CATF_EUNuclearIndustrialDecarbonisationFactsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }