European Commission categorises nuclear power as a sustainable energy source

Following consultations with the member states the European Commission has classified nuclear power as an environmentally sustainable energy source. The decision is part of the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities, a system that mobilises and guides future investments required to achieve climate neutrality across Europe by 2050.

“We welcome the decision of the European Commission to acknowledge nuclear power as a sustainable energy source”, comments Laure Claquin, Chief Financial Officer and Sustainability Officer for ETC. “As a high-performance, low-carbon energy source, nuclear power plays an important role to reach our climate protection targets. We are aware that the energy mix in Europe varies between member states, but we are unified in the dedication to cut down carbon emissions as efficiently and quickly as we potentially can.”

Low-carbon, high-energy

Today’s energy challenges are dominated by the climate crisis and the need to decarbonise our economies. Across the European Union the contribution of nuclear to low-carbon energy generation is already strong: 106 reactors in 13 member states produce 26% of the total electricity* in the EU. With a production of 765 337 GWh in one year, nuclear is the largest single source of low-carbon energy generation. Laure Claquin added that “nuclear’s current contribution to the sustainable energy mix is strong, but without investment in future projects, this capacity would shrink and as a result lead to higher emissions. This is why the new taxonomy is positive move; it is a signpost guiding our way to net zero emissions.”

*Source : Eurostat (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/-/ddn-20210219-1)