Germany pushes back against EU's sustainable nuclear classification

The German government has written to the European Commission in opposition to its proposal to classify nuclear power as sustainable energy while supporting the temporary green label it has given to natural gas as the bloc pushes towards net-zero.

The letter sent by Berlin to Brussels also calls on the EU executive to change the approval procedure for sustainable investment and allow a bigger role for member states and the EU Parliament.

The deadline for comments over the role of nuclear power and natural gas in the EU's taxonomy was on Friday.

Read more: Germany shuts down 3 of 6 nuclear plants despite energy crisis

"The longer nuclear power plants run, the bigger the nuclear waste problem becomes," Germany said in the letter, which was posted on the Economy Ministry’s website on Saturday.

"In the view of the German government, nuclear energy is not sustainable."

Berlin also wrote that gas cannot be considered a source of sustainable energy in the long term, but as a temporary bridge to accelerate the transition to truly green energy sources.

"Gas-fired power plants can facilitate the rapid transition to renewable energies and the reduction of emissions in the energy sector as a whole, complement rather than displace renewables," it said.

The Commission has been facing increasing opposition to its proposal of including gas and nuclear energy in its green rulebook. Brussels argues that their conditional inclusion is necessary for some countries to phase out coal and ease the transition to net-zero.

Read more: Breton: Nuclear will play "fundamental role" in EU's energy transition

Germany also wants the EU to decide its taxonomy criteria for gas and nuclear in a way that allows for a wider political discussion. It called for public consultations on the proposals, followed by the standard legislative procedure, whereby approval by the EU Parliament and by each member state is required. 

The present method is a delegated act, where the EU Commission drafts a proposal and a reinforced majority of countries is needed to block it, with no possibility of making amendments.

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