The Diplomat
Spain yesterday reiterated its rejection of the European Commission’s (EC) proposal to include nuclear energy and natural gas generation in the classification table of green options in the EU framework, which would be “a step backwards” and “the wrong signal” for the financial markets.
In response to the EC’s draft proposal for a green taxonomy, the vice-president and minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, stressed that “regardless of whether investments can continue to be made in one or the other, we consider that they are not green or sustainable energies”, reports Europa Press.
Spain “is a firm advocate of the green taxonomy as a key instrument for having common references that can be used by investors to achieve the decarbonisation of the economy and reach climate neutrality in 2050”, but admitting nuclear and natural gas as its share “would be a step backwards”.
The minister warned that “it makes no sense and sends the wrong signals for the energy transition of the EU as a whole”.
Spain admits that both nuclear energy and natural gas have a role to play in the transition, but “limited in time”, so they should be treated separately and not as green, where there are other key energies for decarbonisation and without risk or environmental damage, the ministry explained in a statement.
