WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE EU Does the Ukraine war mean a renaissance for EU nuclear energy? Increasing nuclear energy capacity has re-emerged as an option to help Europe cut dependence on Russian fossil fuels. But the age-old debate on nuclear safety is still alive — and divisive. By ESZTER ZALAN As the EU ramps up efforts to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas, the focus has shifted back towards nuclear energy — along with renewables — as an option. Boosting nuclear energy capacity would also fit with the EU’s Green Deal, with proponents of nuclear seeing it as a vital tool to reach net-zero targets. At the start of this year, the EU executive also proposed to classify some nuclear investments as green — a highly-controversial move. Expanding reliance on nuclear energy is a deeply-divisive issue for many EU member states, however. The EU Commission has been accused of greenwashing nuclear and natural gas by critics. The plan has also split member states, with Austria and Luxembourg being the most outspoken in opposing the plans. Those countries in favour remain enthusiastic, however. “Nuclear energy should be considered as one of the solutions, because it has the lowest carbon-footprint [and is] already considered as a green solution by the European Commission,” Bulgarian socialist MEP Tsvetelina Penkova told the European Parliament’s energy committee in early March. Her assessment was echoed by Finnish MEP Henna Virkkunen. “It is clear that member states can no longer rely on Russian gas and oil for their energy needs. Doubling down and investing in low-carbon energy, including nuclear and renewables, is now imperative in order to achieve both carbon neutrality and energy independence,” she told the committee. In a 10-point plan in March, the International Energy Agency (IEA) also suggested that the EU reduce its imports of natural gas from Russia by more than one-third within a year — partly
