Soaring gas and fuel costs have pushed energy security back to the top of Europe's political agenda.
With tensions in the Middle East tightening supplies and prices, governments and households alike are feeling the squeeze.
EU officials have urged people to cut travel and work more from home as a short-term response, while the UK has counseled calm.
Yet many policymakers are now asking whether rebuilding a stronger domestic power supply should include a renewed role for nuclear.
Nuclear's share of European electricity has fallen sharply since 1990, leaving the continent far more reliant on imported oil and gas.
That dependence — more than half of Europe’s energy comes from abroad — has left countries vulnerable to supply shocks and sudden price swings.
The contrast between national power mixes is stark.
France, which still gets about two-thirds of its electricity from reactors, enjoys much lower wholesale prices than neighbours reliant on gas.
Spain, with heavy investment in wind and solar, expects much cheaper electricity next year than gas-dependent Italy.
Several governments have shifted position in recent months.
Italy is preparing to lift a long-standing ban, Belgium appears to be reversing course, Greece has opened discussion on new reactor designs, Sweden re-adopted nuclear policy, and the UK is moving to streamline approvals for new projects.
Bigger players are also making the case publicly.
French leaders argue reactors can help cut emissions while strengthening energy sovereignty and supporting new industrial demand, including large-scale computing and AI centres.
But nuclear brings clear limits.
Building full-scale reactors is costly and time-consuming, with recent European projects plagued by delays and overruns.
Concerns about radioactive waste, safety and public acceptance remain strong, and some Central European states still depend on Russian technology and fuel.
For many analysts, the immediate priority is maintaining existing plants rather than quick expansion.
Renewables have also become far cheaper, competing directly with new nuclear on cost, and cash-strapped governments must juggle many spending pressures.
Because of those constraints, attention has shifted to small modular reactors (SMRs) as a more flexible option.
The EU has launched a funding package to support SMR development, while international partnerships — including a large US–Japan initiative and UK plans by Rolls-Royce — aim to commercialise the technology by the early 2030s.
However, SMRs remain largely unproven at scale and, as of early 2026, no EU construction licences had been granted.
Fusion research is also receiving investment, but it is even further from commercial reality.
In short, nuclear is being positioned as part of a longer-term strategy for European energy independence, not as an immediate cure for today’s price shocks.
For now, most countries continue to rely on fossil fuel imports while balancing short-term resilience with long-term decarbonisation goals.
