EU members seek to add nuclear, e-fuels to clean tech goals

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS, Dec 7 (Reuters) – EU governments agreed on Thursday that nuclear and sustainable fuels should be added to a list of strategic “net-zero” technologies that the European Union should promote so its industry can compete with Chinese and U.S. competitors.

The bloc plans to set a target of producing by 2030 at least 40% of the products it needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – such as solar and wind power equipment, heat pumps and fuel cells.

Ministers for the 27 EU members agreed at a meeting in Brussels to include nuclear power and “sustainable alternative fuels” as strategic technologies.

Both are controversial, given opposition of some EU members to nuclear power, while alternative fuels could include e-fuels for which Germany secured an exemption from an EU law to end sales of CO2-emitting cars from 2035.

The Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), debated by EU ministers, is a centrepiece of the European Union’s push to ensure it is not only a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but is also a manufacturing base for clean tech.

The act proposes streamlining the granting of permits, limiting to 18 months a process that can take many years and requiring the EU to designate single points of contact for manufacturing project promoters.

Public authorities conducting tenders will have to award contracts for net-zero technologies based not only on price, but also on sustainability criteria and on a push to ensure that a single source is not supplying more than 65% of EU demand.

For a number of products, notably solar panels, Chinese supply is above that level.

The final law, which may enter force next year, will follow negotiations between EU government and European Parliament representatives.

The parliament has backs adding nuclear technology. Lawmakers also want to include components, materials and machinery to produce net-zero technologies and to shorten the permit-granting process to a maximum of 12 months.