EU authorities are planning to propose legal mechanisms to permanently halt imports of Russian fossil fuels into the bloc soon. However, the main obstacle is that this is extremely difficult to implement.
Points of attention
- Official Brussels faces the dilemma of balancing energy security risks and the need to develop its own nuclear supply chain, which would require substantial investments.
- It is crucial to monitor how the EU navigates these obstacles and transitions towards reduced reliance on Russian energy sources in the coming years.
What is known about the new EU plan?
Kyiv's allies, like Ukraine itself, are outraged by the fact that over the past 3 years, EU countries have paid the aggressor country Russia more than 200 billion euros for energy resources.
What is important to understand is that of this amount, the share for payment for nuclear fuel is small — about 700 million euros out of 22 billion in 2024.
Despite this, official Brussels cannot ignore the risks to the EU's energy security that would arise in the event of a sudden cessation of supplies from Russia.
The EU has 101 nuclear reactors, 19 of which are Soviet-style VVER reactors, which are heavily dependent on Russian fuel and technical solutions. Overall, Russia provides 20–25% of the EU's needs for natural, converted and enriched uranium.
According to insiders, official Brussels is currently set on a total rejection of imports from Russia in the nuclear energy sector in the 2030s.
The problem is that this would require at least €241 billion in investment in creating its own nuclear supply chain.
