nucleareurope highlights value of nuclear for energy system at Economist Enterprise Government roundtable
On 9 July 2026, nucleareurope Director General Emmanuel Brutin participated in the Athens-held Economist Enterprise 30th Annual Government Roundtable, a high-level event which gathered government officials, policy experts and industry representatives around the topic “progress in an age of upheaval”. Emmanuel specifically intervened in a panel session entitled “re-invigorating the green transition through innovation, flexibility and inclusiveness”, to discuss the role of nuclear in the energy system.
In his intervention, Emmanuel first outlined planned nuclear investments in Europe, noting that installed nuclear capacity is set to grow significantly, through lifetime extension of existing power plants, large new build, as well as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). He added that these investments will further strengthen the contributions of nuclear to the European energy system.
“The value of nuclear is well recognised by the different Member States that operate the technology. It is fully decarbonised, supports security of supply, and is fully dispatchable” highlighted Emmanuel, adding that nuclear is well placed to respond to the demand of energy intensive consumers who require a stable supply of low-carbon electricity.
Emmanuel then stressed that the value of nuclear also resides in the services it provides to the energy system. He added that a reasonable share of nuclear in the energy system allows for significant savings on energy system costs, including balancing and transmission costs.
Concluding his intervention, Emmanuel noted that the benefits of nuclear extends beyond the countries operating the technology, and referred to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s speech at this year’s Nuclear Summit, where he encouraged other Member States to continue operating nuclear, because it supports the entire energy system, including for countries, such as Greece, which do not yet have any nuclear capacity.
The recording of Emmanuel’s intervention is available here: https://youtu.be/1w0Akt02u7Q?list=PLZ2Npc-bc1zk