- Seven nations have rejected nuclear hydrogen as a renewable option.
- Germany, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal signed the rejection letter.
Seven European countries have declared they will not take nuclear-derived hydrogen into consideration as a renewable energy source. The seven EU nations, led by Germany, have written to the European Commission to express their opposition to using nuclear power to determine fuel targets for the transportation sector.
In response to France’s campaign for the opposite, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal have joined Germany in signing the letter. The countries of Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland are on the opposing side of the argument, supporting the inclusion of nuclear power in green transportation goals. According to the seven signatories, the renewable energy mandate shouldn’t include low-carbon fuels.
The letter says “The production and use of low carbon hydrogen and low carbon fuels should not be incentivised through a directive on the promotion of renewable energy. Especially by accounting them towards the overall 2030 or any sectoral renewable energy targets or deducting them from the denominator.”
The states acknowledge that nuclear-produced hydrogen will play a role in Europe’s energy mix, but this should not discourage expanding renewable infrastructure. The nations asserted that including low-carbon energy in calculating renewable targets would considerably weaken our efforts to combat climate change and impede investment in the urgently required additional renewable capacity. Due to this ongoing dispute, the EU’s renewable energy legislation is currently being delayed, and discussions are anticipated to occur after that.