The European Commission has decided to include gas and nuclear power on the list of investments that can be classified as “sustainable”.
This was announced by the deputy president of the European Executive Valdis Dombrovskis: “The inclusion of gas and nuclear power in the taxonomy is a question that has been raised by various ministers – said the Latvian commissioner – For the energy mix of the future we need more renewables but also of stable sources and the Commission will adopt a taxonomy that also covers nuclear power and gas ».
The Commission will present the second delegated act on the EU taxonomy for the classification of economic activities to be financed by the market in relation to the role of gas and nuclear “in the near future”, he added at the press conference at the end of the Ecofin.
On Monday 6 December the spokesperson responsible for the dossier had indicated that the presentation would be presented “by the end of the year”. The issue is controversial both in terms of principle, especially in relation to nuclear production, and as regards the polluting emission limits of gas and the duration of the use of this energy source.
The 27 are divided more or less in half: on the one hand, those led by France, for which nuclear power is essential to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 and therefore can be the full recipient of “green” investments; on the other, those who believe it is necessary to invest in renewables to reach the 2050 target and in the meantime gas can be used as a transition fuel: it produces CO2 but is much “cleaner” than coal. In this second group there is Italy.