In the midst of high energy prices and transition to reliable low-carbon energy sources, European Union’s (EU) new renewable energy goal for 2040, which excludes nuclear-powered energy, has been criticised by pro-nuclear EU governments.
In a recent Reuters report, proponents of nuclear power said they would not back a renewable energy goal that excludes atomic energy.
Plans to set an EU renewable energy target for 2040 have stirred tensions after the European Commission this month made the clean energy goal a surprise addition to the brief of new EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen, who has held firm that both renewables and nuclear energy will play a role in Europe’s energy policy, but should not be mixed into one target.
The EU’s 27 member countries have opposing views on nuclear power.
French energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said ministers had expressed concern to Jorgensen that the new energy target excluded nuclear energy, at a meeting in Brussels of 15 countries, 12 of them part of a pro-nuclear alliance.
France, which gets most of its power from nuclear reactors, and eastern European countries planning to expand their reactors, are strong proponents of low-carbon atomic energy as a way to cut emissions.
Countries including Austria and Germany have opposed nuclear’s inclusion in previous EU renewable energy goals, raising concerns about nuclear safety and emphasising the lower costs of wind and solar power. Austria is firmly opposed to the technology, while Germany has phased out its nuclear reactors.
Though nuclear power stations do not emit carbon dioxide, they generate toxic waste, leading to some governments and campaigners classifying atomic energy as non-green.
