OREANDA-NEWS. In the context of the European energy strategy focused on reducing the carbon footprint and curbing the global temperature rise, nuclear generation is an essential part of the European energy mix, said top experts at the 10th anniversary European Atomic Energy Conference held on June 29-30 in Brussels and organized by the Platts international independent news agency.

The experts say half of the European reactor fleet is approaching its 30-year operation record milestone, which raises the issue of extending the service life of existing nuclear power plants and commissioning of new power units. Decommissioning of worn-out plants is also a hot topic.

In his speech, the head of Rosatom France, Andrey Rozhdestvin, has emphasized that Rosatom offers its European partners reliable and efficient solutions in nuclear power plant construction, upgrade and decommissioning.

"We are already successfully implementing reactor construction projects in Finland, Hungary and Turkey. We are participating in the upgrade of the Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria as part of the consortium with France’s EDF. We have unique backend competence and expertize", said Andrey Rozhdestvin.

The conference was attended by Agneta Rising, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, Massimo Garribba, head the European Commission Energy Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Fuel Cycle, Jean-Pol Poncelet, Director General of FORATOM, representatives of major companies, including Areva, Westinghouse, Fennovoima, etc.

The main challenge the nuclear industry is currently facing is the need for better funding options for the nuclear construction, experts say.

 In his speech, Andrey Rozhdestvin has emphasized that Rosatom utilizes a variety of funding solutions for its projects such as inter-governmental loans, e.g. for Hungary and Belarus, or co-investing, e.g. in Finland and Turkey.

Nukem Technology Managing Director Ulf Kutcher took part in a panel discussion of the conference on new decommissioning opportunities for nuclear facilities.

 Rosatom International Network was the general partner of the event.