These 11 countries defend the benefits of nuclear energy to “achieve our climate goals”, a line criticized by states such as Germany and Austria.
The pro-nuclear club is taking shape. Eleven countries of the European Union, led by France, announced on Tuesday, February 28, a deepening of their cooperation around the atom, despite fierce opposition from Germany. “Nuclear power is one of many tools to achieve our climate goals, generate baseload electricity and ensure security of supply”they say in a joint statement.
France, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia agree to “support new projects” nuclear, based in particular “on innovative technologies”as well as “the operation of existing power plants”. The text provides for joint training projects, “opportunities for increased scientific cooperation” and the exchange of “best practices in security”.
For Paris, nuclear power, a controllable energy without CO2 emissions, is “additoinal” renewables to reach the European objective of carbon neutrality in 2050. “The United States, United Kingdom, South Korea, China, India and even Japan are considering nuclear as an important means of decarbonizing their economy. We must be on a level playing field”French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher pleaded on Monday.
For Berlin, priority to renewables
The eleven signatory countries are the same which supported at the end of 2021 the recognition of the “sustainable” nature of nuclear power in the European “taxonomy”, a green labeling making it possible to facilitate certain investments. They had won their case in the text adopted in mid-2022.
For its part, Germany believes that Europe should focus on financing renewables. “We have decarbonization targets that each state can achieve as it sees fit. But the EU has also set itself renewable targets to be achieved together”to which nuclear power cannot contribute, declared Secretary of State Sven Giegold.
Berlin’s hostility to the atom is shared in particular by Austria and Luxembourg. “To win the race against climate change, we have to be fast. New nuclear power plants take 15 years to build, two to three times more expensive than wind and solar”supported the Luxembourg Minister Claude Turmes.