Emmanuel Brutin highlights Ukraine’s strategic role in Europe’s nuclear renaissance at a conference in Rome

On 9 July 2025, in Rome, the panel “Nuclear Energy for a Strengthened Europe” took place as part of the “Clean Industrial Transformation: Ukraine’s Strategic Role in the EU’s Agenda” conference, organised on the eve of the Ukraine Recovery Conference. This high-level discussion explored how Ukraine’s nuclear expertise can strengthen Europe’s energy security and accelerate the EU’s nuclear revival.

Emmanuel Brutin, Director General of nucleareurope, delivered the keynote address, opening the panel alongside representatives from European institutions, governments, industry leaders, and Ukrainian stakeholders.

In his remarks, Emmanuel outlined the positive momentum for nuclear energy in Europe, with investments aiming to increase its nuclear capacity from 100 GW today to around 145 GW by 2050, according to existing plans from the Member states. He stressed that Ukraine has a unique role to play in this European nuclear revival.

Despite the ongoing war of aggression, Ukraine’s nuclear fleet continues to provide 50-60% of the country’s electricity, demonstrating exceptional resilience. Ukraine is also actively working to diversify its nuclear fuel supply to cut reliance on Russian uranium, and expand its nuclear capacity to 24 GW by 2050, with plans for both large reactors and SMRs.

For Emmanuel, the partnership between the EU and Ukraine offers clear opportunities: shared experience in reducing dependence on Russian nuclear fuel, joint development of new projects, workforce cooperation, and even the potential for low-carbon electricity and hydrogen exports from Ukraine to Europe.

He concluded with a call to boost EU-Ukraine cooperation in the nuclear sector, emphasising the need for dedicated funding for nuclear, deeper integration of Ukrainian operators into the European ecosystem, and full political recognition of nuclear’s strategic value for Europe’s sovereignty and energy security.