Do we need gas and nuclear power to achieve the climate goals? The EU Commission has made an important decision on this.
Investments in new gas and nuclear power plants are to be considered climate-friendly in the European Union under certain conditions. Despite massive criticism, the European Commission adopted a corresponding legal act on Wednesday.
It even falls short of an original draft and relaxes the requirements for gas-fired power plants. Germany in particular had insisted on making the criteria for gas more flexible.
The background to the classification of certain gas and nuclear projects as sustainable is the so-called taxonomy of the EU. It aims to encourage citizens and investors to invest in climate-friendly technologies in order to achieve the EU’s climate targets.
Sustainable under conditions
The now adopted legal act stipulates that investments in new gas-fired power plants will be considered sustainable until 2030 if, among other things, they replace dirtier power plants and are completely operated with more climate-friendly gases such as hydrogen by 2035. In the original draft, the admixture of climate-friendly gases was already prescribed from 2026. This means that gas-fired power plants may now be able to use higher levels of polluting natural gas for longer. New nuclear power plants are to be classified as sustainable by 2045 if there is a concrete plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from 2050 at the latest.
According to its own statements, the federal government wants to examine the legal act submitted by the EU Commission. “We now have four months to examine what the commission is actually submitting,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit on Wednesday in Berlin. The federal government has already “explained its position on this subject extensively”. For the time being, the coalition will “bend over what has actually been presented by Brussels,” said Hebestreit. The deadline for the examination can even be up to six months.
Massive criticism in advance
The Commission’s plans were heavily criticized in advance. The federal government has repeatedly expressed its clear rejection of the classification of nuclear power as sustainable. However, Germany considers support for gas-fired power plants as a transitional technology to be justifiable.
Austria and Luxembourg have announced that they will take legal action. Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden also reject a sustainable classification of gas, it said in a letter to the Commission earlier this week. MEPs, environmentalists and scientists have repeatedly pointed out the climate-damaging CO2 emissions from gas and the unresolved issue of radioactive waste from nuclear power. Large investors such as the European Investment Bank and the IIGCC investor group were also critical.
After the Commission has officially accepted the proposal, it can only be rejected by a majority in the EU Parliament or at least 20 EU countries, otherwise it will automatically come into force. A refusal has so far been considered unlikely.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
