The taxonomy is the list of industrial activities and energies that Brussels considers to be virtuous for the climate. Activities and energies that should enable Europeans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
This list is important because it will make it possible to orient and attract private investors who wish to turn to sustainable energies. There is also a financial windfall. However, making this list was very complicated: months and months of debates, reflection, expert reports and, in the end, always disagreements.
France and the Eastern European countries are putting a lot of pressure on nuclear power to be on the list: their argument is that this energy produces zero greenhouse gases, that it is already part of the energy transition and , that incidentally, it allows consumers to be protected from price volatility (we can see this at the moment with the surge in fossil fuel prices). But it is above all in their interest: Paris, Warsaw or Budapest are committed to the development of nuclear power, they only have advantages in seeing it considered as a sustainable energy.
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EU green finance advisers criticize plans for #Brussels to qualify the #gas and energy #nuclear of “transitional” energy sources in the #taxonomy of the EU.
Through @FredSimonEU.https://t.co/spaJP1LyqY
— EURACTIV France (@EURACTIV_FR) January 29, 2022
Opposite, Germany, followed in particular by Austria, Spain and Denmark, considers, on the contrary, that making nuclear energy a green energy is total hypocrisy, greenwashing, an environmental heresy. We still do not know how to eliminate radioactive waste and nuclear power takes too long in the face of the climate emergency. Some of these countries are even threatening to take the text to court.
In this Europe where no compromise is possible without the support of France and Germany, this standoff has shaken up the institutions. But the Commission will give in to German demands: the new power plants will have to obtain a building permit before 2045. For work aimed at extending the life of the power plants, authorizations must be obtained before 2040. The Commission will also require guarantees on the treatment of waste and dismantling of facilities.
On gas, it’s a little different: gas is a fossil fuel. It’s not sustainable energy at all, and everyone agrees on that. Except that we haven’t found a better way to quickly get out of coal, which is twice as polluting. Pushed by Germany, the European Commission should therefore include gas in its list, classifying it not as a green energy but as a transition energy.
Whoa whoa whoa! The climate always further from the concerns of the government!
While there was already not much left of the measures of the @Conv_Citizen in the Climate Law, the unraveling continues #LoiEvinClimate #gas #BanFossilAds https://t.co/iAFJ67YC4b— Greenpeace France (@greenpeacefr) January 31, 2022
However, there will be some conditions. In particular, the States will have to commit to completely replacing natural gas with renewable gas or hydrogen by 2035. But Berlin has obtained concessions to make this “transition” softer : there will no longer be a binding timetable.
Initially it was planned at least 30% renewable (or low-carbon) gas in 2026 and at least 55% in 2030, unrealistic goals for the Germans, Slovaks and French industrialists. In addition, the CO2 emission thresholds are set at less than 100g of CO2/kWh. Iattainable with current technologies. For gas power plants that will have obtained their permit before 31 December 2030, this threshold should therefore be raised to 270gr of CO2/kWh.
Once the Commission publishes its text, the famous list will be definitively adopted within four months. Unless less than 20 countries out of 27 oppose it – a rather unlikely scenario – or if MEPs vote against it in Parliament. But the groups are far from being on the same line. The “bubble“ prepares for intense discussions.