Nuclear takes note of EU Green Deal Industrial Plan

Nucleareurope has taken note of the European Commission’s proposals which aim to support EU technologies that will get us to net zero by 2050.  Published today, the Commission’s communication entitled “A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age” is the EU’s response to, in particular, the US Inflation Reduction Act.

“It is good to see that the text supports both renewables and net-zero technologies” states Yves Desbazeille, nucleareurope Director General. “As a constant supplier of low carbon and sustainable energy, our hope is that nuclear will be treated as a net-zero technology.”

It is clear that the EU needs to focus on tackling the massive challenges which we are currently facing.  As such, proposals from the Commission must maintain the principle of technology neutrality and support ALL those technologies which will:

• Help Europe achieve its decarbonisation targets
• Ensure energy sovereignty and security of supply by reducing dependence on third countries (both in terms of energy and raw material imports)
• Provide a steady supply of fossil-free and affordable energy (including electricity, heat and hydrogen) to support the competitiveness of European industries.

More specifically, in terms of the planned ‘Net-Zero Industry Act’, and the technologies which will be covered, it is good to see the Commission starting from the principle of technology neutrality. We understand that work will now proceed on identifying the scope – here, we would strongly recommend using the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy as a starting point to ensure alignment between policies.

It is also positive to note that support will be granted to fossil-free hydrogen, as this will help ensure a constant and affordable supply of decarbonised hydrogen, in line with EU targets.

About us: nucleareurope is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. The membership of nucleareurope is made up of 15 national nuclear associations and through these associations, nucleareurope 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@nucleareurope.eu