EU says it needs nuclear and gas for climate fight

The EU needs nuclear power and gas as stable sources of energy while it manages the transition to a low-carbon economy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

While the European Union must drastically reduce its CO2 emissions to combat climate change, “it is obvious that we need more renewable and clean energy,” she said at the end of a summit of the bloc’s 27 members. 

Renewables such as wind and solar have tumbled in cost and do not depend on imports, she told a press conference, adding that they will offer “a lot of independence” to the EU.

However, alongside renewables “we need a stable source, nuclear; and during the transition, of course, natural gas”, the head of the European Union’s executive body said. 

Nuclear power plants have the advantage of emitting almost no CO2 into the atmosphere, while gas -- the least polluting major hydrocarbon fuel -- provides a stop-gap fuel source while alternatives are developed.

The European Commission must propose before the end of the year its so-called green taxonomy -- a list of energies considered beneficial for the climate.