EU Split On Renewable Energy Targets

CIVIL NUCLEAR

File photo of French nuclear reactor Golfech 2. Officials said the EU was virtually split down the middle, with some nuclear users, led by France, prepared to accept the use of "binding" if low carbon energy forms such as nuclear power were incorporated into the targets scheme. "It was practically 50-50, almost a draw, in terms of the number of countries and in terms of their size," said Spanish state secretary for European affairs Alberto Navarro. France, Poland and the Baltic states oppose setting a mandatory target in stone, and want to leave it up to member countries to choose their own approach to cutting emissions of the gases that cause global warming. "Renewable energies are important, they must be developed and France is well placed to do that, but it is not enough to achieve our own goals" -- to reduce global warming -- said French European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna.

by Lorne Cook
Brussels (AFP) March 05, 2007
European Union countries were divided Monday over how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and what role nuclear energy could play in the fight against climate change. With global warming a high priority, the EU states agree that carbon dioxide emissions must be cut by 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels, but they disagree on how much renewable and nuclear energy should be used in the future.

At a meeting of EU foreign ministers, the countries were split between pro- and anti-nuclear camps with the former wanting atomic energy included in the mix, leaving the problem to be thrashed out by EU leaders later this week.

In a draft of conclusions prepared for the two-day meeting by the German EU presidency, the EU would reaffirm its commitment to renewable energy sources well beyond 2010.

The document, obtained by AFP, notes "a (binding) target of a 20 percent share of renewable energies in overall EU energy consumption by 2020," with the brackets suggesting the word "binding" remains controversial.

"No breakthrough was possible. It will have to be debated at the European council," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters after chairing the talks in Brussels.

"That's going to be the key issue" at Thursday's summit, he said.

Officials said the EU was virtually split down the middle, with some nuclear users, led by France, prepared to accept the use of "binding" if low carbon energy forms such as nuclear power were incorporated into the targets scheme.

"It was practically 50-50, almost a draw, in terms of the number of countries and in terms of their size," said Spanish state secretary for European affairs Alberto Navarro.

France, Poland and the Baltic states oppose setting a mandatory target in stone, and want to leave it up to member countries to choose their own approach to cutting emissions of the gases that cause global warming.

"Renewable energies are important, they must be developed and France is well placed to do that, but it is not enough to achieve our own goals" -- to reduce global warming -- said French European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna.

The French government believes the EU "should set a general target for non-carbon energy forms -- a general target that could be binding -- and inside that, another target that could be fixed for renewable energies alone."

"Nuclear power is one of the non-carbon energy forms, but it's not the only one either," she said.

Britain, which had stood alongside France, now appears to have changed sides to join the camp led by Germany and Spain.

"Britain is in favour of essentially binding targets but that will be up for discussion at the summit itself," said an aide to British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

Energy policy has climbed high on the EU's political agenda over the last year due to the growing need to find less polluting sources and concerns about the reliability of Russia as a supplier of oil and gas.

But the EU has struggled to hammer out a common approach as member countries tend to put national interests first, based on the fact they rely on different energy sources to meet their national needs.

Some countries are concerned about setting unreachable targets. One top diplomat was quoted as saying that "there's only a slight difference between high ambitions and recklessness."

Indeed in preparing the ground for the summit, EU energy ministers moved closer last month to a unified policy by agreeing cleaner fuel targets but were unable to close in on a binding 20 percent target.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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Three Russian Companies Found JV To Produce Uranium In Namibia

Windhoek, Namibia (RIA Novosti) Feb 26, 2007
Russia's Techsnabexport, Renova and Vneshtorgbank have established a joint venture to produce uranium in Namibia, the head of the Russian nuclear agency said Friday. "Our enterprises - Renova and Vneshtorgbank - already hold licenses to produce uranium in Namibia. We agreed to found a joint venture to prospect and produce uranium," Sergei Kiriyenko said after a meeting with Namibia's president, Hifikepunye Pohamba.

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