Euractiv: EU’s nuclear divide deepens over Brussels’ 2040 energy plans

The European Commission is considering a dedicated renewable energy law and a new target for renewables by 2040, according to a draft document seen by Euractiv. The proposal could fuel tensions with EU member states that support nuclear power.

The EU’s 2009 Renewable Energy Directive (RED) has already been revised three times, establishing binding targets for the share of renewable energy in overall EU consumption for 2020 and 2030.

Following the adoption of a new 90% emissions reduction target for 2040, EU energy officials are now reviewing the bloc’s related governance legislation, which has not been amended in eight years, alongside its rules on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

A French-led alliance of pro-nuclear EU member states, which now includes 14 countries, has long called for nuclear power to be given equal status with solar and wind energy in the EU’s climate and energy policies. However, the draft suggests that the European Commission is rejecting that approach.

“An updated dedicated RES framework after 2030 is required,” the internal document states, outlining options for a fourth overhaul of the Renewable Energy Directive.

A “solid legislative framework for the promotion and integration of renewable energy sources is necessary beyond 2030,” it adds.

The leaked document provides only an indication of the European Commission’s current thinking, while lobbying by both pro-nuclear and renewable energy advocates is expected to intensify ahead of the end-of-year deadline for publication of the broader legislative package.

Pro-nuclear countries “will be happy if nuclear is recognised, and unhappy if it isn’t,” one EU diplomat observed.

As part of efforts to meet the bloc’s ambitious decarbonization goals, the European Commission has already proposed a 46% electrification target for 2040. This would effectively double the share of the EU’s final energy consumption supplied through electricity grids rather than pipelines and fuel pumps.

The draft document suggests that the “promotion of renewable energy and electrification” could involve either a “new, higher binding renewable energy sub-target for the heating and cooling sector” or “specific KPIs for geothermal and solar thermal technologies and heat pumps instead of a sectorial sub-target.”

Other measures aimed at increasing electricity use could include “discontinuing” dedicated targets for blending green biofuels and ethanol into petrol and diesel from 2030 onwards.

By Vafa Guliyeva