An essential zero-carbon solution or a perilous energy technology? : exploring the nuclear debate in EU law

As a low-carbon means of producing electricity, nuclear energy has been held up as a potentially influential solution in addressing the need for clean energy in the low-carbon transition. However, nuclear energy is one of the most controversial technologies by which to produce energy; public opinion remains extraordinarily divided. This chapter focuses on the interplay between the arguments in favour of nuclear energy and those against it as two sides of an enduring debate. It does not seek to discredit or to support one or the other of the opposing views on nuclear energy, nor does it take a legal, social or economic (let alone personal) stand on them. Instead, it reviews the key facts and arguments typically invoked by opponents and supporters of nuclear, and demonstrates, using the European Union as an illustrative case study, how this sensitive and politically charged debate is reflected in the law and in legal governance of the low-carbon energy transition.