EU does not want to give up Russian nuclear technology

In 2024, EU countries paid Russia €22 billion for energy, of which only €700 million was for nuclear fuel. However, it is this share that has proved the most difficult to turn down, the Financial Times reported.

The EU has 101 nuclear reactors in operation, 19 of them of Soviet design. In particular, four VVER-1000s are in operation in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and another 15 VVER-440s are in operation in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland and Slovakia. Russia supplies up to 25 percent of enriched uranium to the EU and controls more than half of the global enrichment market.

Hungary and Slovakia are the most resistant to the plans to phase out cooperation with Rosatom. These countries warn of risks to energy stability and economic consequences. Hungary's Paks NPP, where Rosatom is building two new power units, is supposed to provide up to 75% of the country's electricity.

The European Commission does not rule out the use of trade restrictions instead of sanctions, which would bypass the veto of countries opposed to it. At the same time, a complete refusal of imports from Russia in the nuclear industry is planned not earlier than the 2030s and will require about 241 billion euros of investment in the creation of its own supply chain.

Photo: Focus.