21.10.2022
MEPs approve nuclear energy investments under EU green fund
Photo by: Ron and Patty Thomas / iStock
Nuclear and low-carbon energy projects could receive funding from the EU Green Fund. This was the result of a vote by MEPs from the industry committee (32 in favour and 22 against). The initiative has been debated as part of a plan to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas, REPowerEU.
Obviously, these changes soften the concept of security for the environment. This includes the EU Green Deal environmental plan, which states that no EU-funded projects should interfere with environmental objectives.
The amendments in the vote would allow European states to receive loans to extend the life of nuclear power plants until EU energy security is restored.
MPs also propose increasing the production and consumption of so-called blue hydrogen as an environmentally friendly gas. Although researchers at Cornell University and Stanford University have found that emissions from it are 20% higher than from the direct use of natural gas or coal, or about 60% higher than from the use of diesel for heating.
The proposals could provoke resistance from other authorities and are not yet final. “The compromise adopted would finance oil and gas infrastructure as well as nuclear power, calling it ‘low-carbon’,” Henrike Hahn, Member of the European Parliament for the Green Group, voiced her concerns.
It is worth noting that the amendments will still be considered by the budget committee, which could change them significantly. A general parliamentary vote on the issue will take place in Strasbourg on 9 November.
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Cover photo: pidjoe / iStock
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