Wind and solar energy cost approximately 4 euro cents per kilowatt-hour, while nuclear energy costs between 14 and 50 euro cents per kilowatt-hour.
EnvironmentEuropean Union
- Omissions
- The MEP claims ~4 ct/kWh for both wind and solar, but Fraunhofer ISE (2024) data shows onshore wind ranging from 4.3 to 9.2 ct/kWh and solar PV from an estimated 4.1 to 14.4 ct/kWh. The claimed figure represents only the lowest-cost scenarios — utility-scale solar and onshore wind at the most favourable sites — and omits that large segments of wind and solar capacity cost substantially more.
- The claim does not differentiate between onshore and offshore wind, nor between utility-scale and rooftop solar. Offshore wind LCOE is significantly higher (typically 7–12 ct/kWh), and rooftop solar is more expensive than utility-scale.
- The nuclear upper bound of 50 ct/kWh could not be verified. No authoritative European LCOE source was found supporting this figure. Known benchmarks (Lazard, Hinkley Point C strike price) suggest nuclear LCOE for new builds in the range of 10–22 ct/kWh. If the MEP intended to include full system costs, decommissioning, or waste management, this was not specified.
- The MEP cited no source. The Fraunhofer ISE 2024 study (the most relevant European source found) was published before the session date and could have been cited.
- Data is primarily from Germany (Fraunhofer ISE), not the EU as a whole. EU-wide LCOE figures were not retrieved in the available searches.