The European Union should promote the use of nuclear energy to meet its power needs and cut dependency on imports, a London-based energy think-tank said Wednesday.
The E.U. "should seriously consider including the nuclear option in their public debate and energy policies," the World Energy Council said in a report. Europe also needs "colossal investments" to develop infrastructure in producing and distributing energy, it said.
Europe imports 50% of its energy needs, making it the world's largest importer of energy. This will to rise to 70% by 2030 if countries don't address the issue, the WEC said.
Dependence on imported energy makes the continent vulnerable to shortages. Some European countries, including Italy and France, ran short of natural gas two years ago, when Russia halted supplies via Ukraine over a price dispute, leading to sharp drops in delivery to countries further west.
And infrastructure failings left millions of households without power in Germany, France and Italy last winter when a German electricity grid was overloaded.
Nuclear energy currently provides one third of the European Union's electricity supply, the WEC said. Its use isn't evenly spread among E.U. member states, with France relying on it for about 80% of its electricity production, and Italy having banned its use since 1987.
The World Energy Council groups over 90 countries, providing information and resources on all aspects of energy production and use.