EU seeks compromise on new renewable energy standards

Nations in the European Union will try again this week to reach an agreement on new renewable energy standards, which have been stuck due to fears from France and other states that the law undermines nuclear energy.

In May, a group of nations, including France, filed a last-minute objection to the EU’s law on more robust renewable energy objectives, putting a vital pillar of the EU’s climate change efforts on pause, Euractiv reported.

According to an agenda for the conference on June 9, EU country embassies will attempt to adopt the law this week.

France has sought modifications to the statute to favour nuclear energy, claiming that the final agreement disadvantages nations like France, who rely heavily on nuclear power. Nuclear power is low-carbon, but it is not renewable.

The EU law is intended to accelerate the growth of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. This year’s agreement included certain concessions, such as lower renewable fuel objectives for the industry in countries that have already used nuclear power to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.

According to Paris, the rules continue to ban low-carbon hydrogen generated by nuclear power.

France seeks further “guarantees” on low-carbon hydrogen generated by nuclear power. The EU is looking for measures that would set a compromise with the Paris position.

This would prevent reconsidering the agreement on the law reached by EU governments and legislators earlier this year, a situation that the European Commission and some nations would prefer to avoid.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated that France would not give up the competitive advantages associated with nuclear power, emphasizing that EU members have the freedom to determine their energy mix.

Other pro-nuclear EU nations, like Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, have indicated they will not accept the renewable bill, citing problems such as, for some, unrealistic targets.

They have enough votes to stop the measure if they all vote together.

It is rare for countries to reject pre-agreed arrangements on EU regulations that have been negotiated over months.

Meanwhile, governments such as Germany and Luxembourg, both anti-nuclear, Denmark and Ireland, have encouraged the EU to resolve the dispute as soon as possible, saying that a delay would jeopardize investments in renewable energy.