In Europe, since 2020 – the year that marked the beginning of COVID – a series of energy crises related to different geopolitical scenarios have followed one another, culminating with the current closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Complications with regard to fuel supply have followed and still follow, but they affect each EU country differently in terms of power generation.

To better understand the current European energy landscape and assess how the choice of different energy sources affects CO₂ emissions, production cost and security of supply of raw materials, it is useful to analyse the energy mix of two European countries: France and Italy, which represent two profoundly different models of energy development and transition.

The French situation

France has built its strategy on well-structured national planning, where nuclear power plays a central role. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are 18 nuclear power plants on French territory with a total of 57 operational reactors, almost all of them Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) type. Nuclear power covers about 70% of the national electricity demand, with an annual production of more than 360 TWh. The future strategy envisages a further strengthening of this technology, with the goal of reaching up to 420 TWh by 2035.

Emissions and production cost of nuclear energy in France

Adopting nuclear power as the main energy source has had obvious effects both environmentally and economically. According to data provided by Electricity Map, France has one of the lowest emission intensities in Europe, at around 22 grams of CO₂ equivalent per kWh produced. At the same time, it has been able to benefit fromrelatively stable electricity prices and support an energy-intensive industry, while maintaining greater independence from fluctuations in fossil commodity markets. The report produced by the Commission de régulation de l’énergie (CRE) for the years 2026-2028 estimates that the total cost of nuclear power will be 60.3 €/MWh, to which distribution and taxes must be added. It is a fixed price, with not too high variations, with high state control; in fact EDF (Electricité De France), the group that manages the French nuclear park, is state-owned.

The Italian situation, from nuclear pioneer to natural gas subject

Italy already boasted a pioneering nuclear programme in the 1960s, with four nuclear power plants that made it the world’s third largest producer after the United States and Great Britain. The nuclear programme came to an abrupt halt after the referendum following the accident at the Chernobyl plant in 1986.
Currently, Italy is the country that makes most use of gas in the European Union, accounting for over 40% of total electricity production. On a par with gas are Renewable Energy Sources (RES), accounting for 41% of total production. The remaining gap is made up of imports from abroad. In 2025, Italian electricity consumption amounted to 311.3 TWh. Although Italy has a higher share of RES than France, the average share of emissions stands at 215 g CO₂ equivalent per kWh.
The wholesale price of electricity is defined, hourly, by the most expensive plant still needed to meet demand: this is known as ‘marginal technology’. In Italy, for most hours, this role is played by thermoelectric power plants fuelled by natural gas. According to the GME (Gestore dei Mercati Energetici), the total cost of electricity in Italy is 100 €/MWh, one of the highest in Europe.

Final considerations

Despite the economic effort Italy has made to meet European targets on the share of renewable energies, at the level of CO₂ equivalent perkWh it is not even comparable to France(215g vs. 22g CO₂ equivalent per kWh). Further development plans in the PNIEC 2030 (National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan) require 70-100 billion to cover more than 60 per cent of production from renewable energies. This figure, with an estimated EUR 9 billion to build a third-generation nuclear reactor, would make it possible to build 8 to 11 nuclear reactors, which would cover approximately 35 to 40% of Italy’s energy needs, thus replacing gas.

Increasingly at the European level, the issue of energy security is becoming crucial, in order to decrease dependence on geopolitical crises, unstable foreign countries, and the exploitation of workers in the global south. For Europe to start setting long-term goals again, a stable, low-carbon and secure energy source is needed. In the face of the nuclear data, this technology will prove crucial for Europe and for maintaining its independence and founding values.