The European Commission “will not stand in the way” of countries that choose to build new nuclear power stations, said EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who warned however about the life-cycle costs of the technology, “which means that you will be stuck with it for a long, long, long time”.

The European Commission keeps a technology-neutral approach when it comes to nuclear power and will stick to its agnostic stance, said Timmermans, who is vice-president in charge of the European Green Deal at the EU executive, according to Euractiv.com.

“The huge advantage of nuclear power, of course, is that it’s emissions-free,” he said on Monday (26 October) during an online chat with Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“If you come to the conclusion that this is your best option, the Commission will certainly not stand in your way,” he said when Birol asked him about his views on nuclear power.

The statement by Timmermans suggests the European Commission will not block state aid for new nuclear projects in Poland and the Czech Republic, which have expressed interest in the technology as a way of meeting EU climate goals.