Nuclear roadblock to EU's new renewable energy target

On Monday, pro-nuclear countries expressed their opposition to the European Union's plans for a renewable energy goal. They said they would not support a goal which excluded atomic energy.

Nuclear power is a controversial energy source that has caused political disagreements among the 27 EU member states. These disputes have delayed recent EU initiatives to reduce energy prices and to drive Europe's shift to low-carbon sources of energy.

Nuclear power plants do not emit CO2, but they produce toxic waste, which some campaigners claim means that atomic energy shouldn't be classified as green.

The European Commission's surprise inclusion of a 2040 renewable energy goal in the mandate of the new EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen this month has sparked tensions once again.

At a meeting of 15 EU member states, including 12 that are part of an alliance pro-nuclear, Agnes Pannier Runacher, the French Energy Minister, said ministers expressed their concern to Jorgensen about the exclusion of nuclear energy from his target.

"Is it important to have a target for renewables... that you can manipulate statistics by, for example, closing nuclear power plants?" Is the primary goal fossil-free, clean energy production in Europe? Ebba busch, Sweden's Energy Minister, also attended the pro nuclear meeting on Monday.

According to a senior official in one EU country, governments that have enough votes to stop the EU from passing its target have indicated they would not support a goal which excludes nuclear.

The official stated, "I believe there is enough in terms of a minority blocking the process."

Dan Jorgensen, EU energy commissioner, said that he would make sure his work focused on nuclear.

He told an EU meeting that "it can and will go hand-in-hand with renewable (energy)."

Austria and Germany, among others, have criticized the inclusion of nuclear power in previous EU renewable energy targets. They cited concerns over nuclear safety as well as the lower cost of solar and wind power.

Austria has a strong opposition to this technology while Germany is gradually phasing out its nuclear power plants.

While France, which derives most of its electricity from nuclear reactors and countries in eastern Europe planning to expand their own reactors are both strong supporters of low-carbon atomic power as a means to reduce emissions. (Reporting and editing by Mark Potter.)

(source: Reuters)