Gas and nuclear energy, on the way to being considered sustainable by the European Parliament

Of the 639 lawmakers in session, 328 opposed blocking the EU proposal, 278 voted to block the motion and 33 abstained.

“The Complementary Delegated Law is a pragmatic proposal to ensure that private investments in gas and nuclear energy, necessary for our energy transition, meet strict criteria,” said the head of EU financial services, Mairead McGuinness.

For his part, the Slovak Prime Minister, Eduard Heger, assured that this step will generate good results in the field of energy security and emission reduction targets. “We will continue on the path to climate neutrality by 2050.”

One of the issues that influenced the decision is the war in Ukraine, which has motivated the bloc to transform its energy policies by breaking ties with Russian fossil fuels, since before the conflict it depended 25% on oil and 40% on Moscow natural gas.

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, assured that the intention is to be prepared.

“We believe that it is very important to have a European vision and a coordinated approach to a possible complete cut off of Russian gas. (…) We have to think about where the gas is needed the most and how we can make sure that the gas actually flows to where it is needed the most,” Von der Leyen said.

For its part, the industrial sector expressed its approval and described the decision as “an important sign of the role of natural gas as a bridge to achieve climate goals,” said Ingbert Liebing, manager of the association of local public services in Germany.

Detractors of the proposal

Luxembourg and Austria were against what was approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday and assured that they would challenge the law in court.

“As soon as this greenwashing program comes into force, Austria will present its ready-made lawsuit to the European Court,” Leonore Gewessler, Austria’s climate minister, said in a statement, adding that her country will seek to enlist other member states as allies in your legal action.

He also said that precisely with the war being waged in Ukraine, you cannot have “a greenwashing program for investment in nuclear energy and fossil gas… It is not credible, nor is it based on knowledge, it endangers our future and it is more irresponsible,” the minister pointed out.

The Greenpeace organization joined the rejection, which also announced legal action.

“This is a bad signal for the rest of the world that may undermine the EU’s leading position on climate action,” said Anders Schelde, chief investment officer at Danish pension fund AkademikerPension.

Steffen Hebestreit, spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, reiterated the country’s position in rejecting the vote.

“The German government stands by its position and considers nuclear power to be unsustainable. It has also vigorously defended this position before the EU Commission and the Council, and has pushed for the Council to object to the delegated act on nuclear power. As you know, the majority required for this in the Council did not materialize”.

The only possibility that the decision will be withdrawn is that the Council of the EU expresses its disagreement before next Monday, for this they would have to oppose 72% of the countries, that is, 20 out of 27, representing approximately 65% ​​of the population of the European Union made up of more than 290 million citizens, a scenario that is very unlikely to happen.

The questionable sustainability of gas and nuclear energy

Gas is a fossil fuel that generates emissions that warm the planet, but relatively less than those of coal. On the other hand, nuclear power is free of CO₂ emissions, but it does generate radioactive waste, raising concerns about the processes involved in disposing of this waste.

These two types of energy are now part of the group of transition technologies, as they cannot yet be replaced by other low-emission and more sustainable technologies, which is why in the plenary session of the European Parliament it was approved that they be assumed as energies that can contribute to the fight against climate change.

Nuclear and gas power plants could be added, if the law is ratified, to the EU’s “taxonomy” rule book, a move that will allow entrepreneurs to label and market investments as planet-friendly.

With gas, the European Union will take into account those investment proposals that meet the new sustainable classification that are intended for electricity generation, only when emissions are less than 100 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt hour (Kw/h) , as well as projects that have been approved before 2030, as long as they do not exceed the emissions threshold of 270 grams of CO₂ per Kw/h.

For nuclear energy, new infrastructure construction projects must be approved before 2045 and before 2040 those existing nuclear power plants that undergo modifications and improvements to their facilities, so these investments are expected to have a useful life until the beginning of the 22nd century approximately.

With Reuters, EFE and AP