Sustainable Finance Taxonomy: Experts publish opinions on nuclear

Brussels, 2 July 2021: FORATOM has taken note of the two expert opinions issued in relation to the assessment of nuclear under the taxonomy. Whilst the Article 31 experts of the Euratom Treaty confirm, overall, the conclusions of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Scientific Committee on Health Environment and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) has raised some queries.

“As the Article 31 group is composed of independent radiation protection and public health experts, we find their conclusions very reassuring”, states Yves Desbazeille, FORATOM Director General. “For example, in their opinion, the existing European legal framework provides adequate protection in terms of public health and the environment in the EU. For activities outside of Europe, they find that international standards offer a comparable level of protection.”  

Furthermore, the Article 31 experts confirm the view of the JRC that Deep Geological Repositories are an appropriate and safe solution for the management of high-level waste, noting that the technology is already available today.

The SCHEER opinion in general agrees with the JRC with regards to the non-radiological impacts of nuclear and the fact that it does not represent ‘unavertable harm’ to human health and the environment, although they do note that some information may be lacking.

“The SCHEER has raised a query as to whether the assessment of nuclear on the basis of the existing criteria under the taxonomy is enough to demonstrate that it does ‘no significant harm’” adds Mr Desbazeille “Without going into the details of this query, it is important to bear in mind that the taxonomy regulation calls for technology neutrality to be maintained. As such, the JRC has assessed nuclear in line with the taxonomy criteria.  If a more in depth assessment is needed, then it should apply to all technologies under the taxonomy, and not just nuclear”.

 About us: The European Atomic Forum (FORATOM) is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. The membership of FORATOM is made up of 15 national nuclear associations and through these associations, FORATOM represents nearly 3,000 European companies working in the industry and supporting around 1,100,000 jobs.

For more information, please contact Jessica Johnson: jessica.johnson@foratom.org.