France, Germany ‘agree to disagree’ on nuclear power

 Germany and France have “agreed to disagree” on the EU’s move to label nuclear energy as green, German Europe Minister Anna Luehrmann said Friday, denying any conflict between the two European giants on the issue. The European Commission has issued a draft proposal to label nuclear energy, along with natural gas, as “green” sources eligible …

Nuclear share in Belgium’s 2021 power mix rises 10 percentage points on year to 52.4%

Nuclear dominates as phase-out looms Gas share plummets, wind/solar stable Demand at 84.2 TWh ‘back to normal’ Nuclear generation increased its share in Belgium’s electricity mix by over 10 percentage points year on year to 52.4% in 2021, data from system operator Elia showed Dec. 7. Belgium is sticking to its “Plan A” nuclear generation …

Tim Gitzel, president and CEO of Cameco Corporation, on the rewards and risks of nuclear energy

Howard Green speaks with Tim Gitzel, CEO of Saskatchewan-based uranium company Cameco Corporation, about nuclear power and climate change. Generating clean electricity is one of the most pressing issues facing humankind. More than half of the world’s greenhouse gases come from producing electrical power. So to get to net zero targets, the world needs to …

Japan vows to boost nuclear tech development in energy talks with U.S.

Japan will bolster the development of next-generation nuclear power technology in cooperation with the United States and other partners, industry minister Koichi Hagiuda said Thursday during talks with his U.S. counterpart. Hagiuda told U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during video talks that the Japanese government will urge more local energy companies to join an international …

Energy-starved France mulls burning more coal to keep lights on

France is considering a plan to allow electricity producers to burn more coal after the nation’s grid operator warned of possible power shortages. The government may raise the annual cap on running coal-fired power stations, plugging a potential gap in supply as an unusually high number of nuclear reactors halt for maintenance just as the coldest months get under way. The country’s three remaining coal units may …

Green finance row splits Berlin

The EU is in the final stages of honing its green finance rules and a leaked draft proposing that nuclear and gas should receive the label for the transition has prompted complaints from Berlin. But positions differ even inside the new German coalition government The EU sustainable finance taxonomy is a long, detailed list of …

EU drafts plan to label gas and nuclear investments as green

The European Union has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after a year-long battle between governments over which investments are truly climate-friendly. The European Commission is expected to propose rules in January deciding whether gas and nuclear projects will be included in the EU “sustainable finance …