Virgil Popescu, Minister of Energy of Romania, together with the Ministers of Energy of Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, called on the European Commission to “include nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy – vital for combating change climate change and increasing energy independence,” according to a statement posted on Facebook.
“We make an important appeal: Without nuclear energy, decarbonization is not possible! With the war at our borders, shouldn’t the EU accelerate investment to secure our energy future and resilience?
Today, strengthening our ambition to fight climate change must be part of the EU’s plans for strategic and energy autonomy, as Russia’s brutal military aggression in Ukraine has forced a rethinking of the energy sector in Europe.
”The context in which the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Financing is currently being discussed is different from that before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In October 2021, we stated the following: Without nuclear energy, decarbonization is not possible. It is a vital and reliable resource for all, in order to ensure energy security and a future with low carbon emissions,” it is shown in the release.
“Today, there is a real war beyond the borders of the EU. Due to Russia’s illegal actions, EU citizens and industry are feeling the impact of high and volatile energy prices. If the EU wants to stay on the path of decarbonisation and at the same time provide security of supply, we need a change of attitude towards nuclear energy. Large volumes of low-carbon electricity and hydrogen will be needed to meet the energy needs of industry and society and to achieve the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050,” the signatories added.
“The demand for electricity will double in the next 30 years and the time to act is now. Nuclear energy, as a baseload source of energy production and with low carbon emissions, can play a key role in an energy mix compatible with climate neutrality, without making massive use of energy imports. It is proven that climate neutrality and security of supply will require an investment of EUR 500 billion in new nuclear power plants by 2050. To meet this challenge, nuclear must be included in the Green Deal and REPowerEU policies, as foreseen in the long-term European strategic vision, Clean Planet for all, where it was clearly stated that together with renewable sources, nuclear has the potential to form the backbone of a European carbon-free energy system.”
Nuclear power is able to meet various challenges. First, nuclear is able to provide the necessary volumes of electricity to increase electrification and is a key component in finding a solution to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel imports from Russia, while meeting the highest safety standards.
Secondly, given the so-called system and balancing costs of the power system, nuclear is a competitive source of energy, which must be taken into account when considering specific financing schemes for such capital intensive projects. Regarding radioactive waste management, including in medicine or industrial applications, safe storage and disposal technologies are available; for highly radioactive waste, deep geological deposits are considered, based on the knowledge gained by the nuclear industry, to be an appropriate and safe solution, and the technology for their construction is already available today.
Finally, Europe needs a realistic hydrogen production strategy and should not rely heavily on imports – given the existing challenges of dependence on energy imports. Europe needs to increase its capacity to produce low-carbon hydrogen and implement an appropriate framework for the development of hydrogen produced using nuclear energy. The first step is already included in the complementary delegated act on Taxonomy, which sets out criteria for the construction and safe operation of new nuclear power plants, including hydrogen production. This will enable the European hydrogen production ecosystem to be implemented more quickly, on a large scale.
“Based on the above, we, the signatories, join the position of the 20 trade unions representing the interests of energy workers in Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, which support the inclusion nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy as vital for combating climate change and increasing energy independence.
In the context of the challenges mentioned above, we call on the European Commission to expand its actions in the field of energy production from carbon-free sources. At the next stage, the European Commission should consider updating the Nuclear Illustrative Programme (PINC), in accordance with Article 40 of the Euratom Treaty, which provides an overview of the objectives and investments required throughout the life cycle of nuclear energy.”
