Essay by Eric Worrall
First published JoNova, NetZeroWatch; Greens are furious the wrong kind of zero carbon energy is being prioritised?
France drops renewables targets, prioritises nuclear in new energy bill
Critics are deriding as a step backward a new French energy bill that favours the further development of nuclear power and avoids setting targets for solar and wind power and other renewables.
Issued on: 09/01/2024 – 08:26
By: NEWS WIRES
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The proposed text affirms “the sustainable choice of using nuclear energy as a competitive and carbon-free” source of electricity, and targets the construction of at least six but as many as 14 new reactors to pull off the transition to clean energy and meet climate change goals.
But the proposed text sets no such targets for building renewable capacity, in particular wind and solar, whereas previous energy laws did.
The Ministry of Energy Transition said “it is false to say that there is no renewables objective” as the government will set the targets itself later.
But that pledge does not satisfy activists and experts.
“It’s a terrible step back,” said Arnaud Gosse, a lawyer specialising in environmental law.
‘Tending’ instead of targets
“If you only quantify nuclear power, you do not know the share of non-renewable energies. As a result, nuclear gets prioritised and, depending on remaining coverage needs, non-renewables will be the subject of floating (future) decrees. It’s no longer a mix,” Gosse said
To reach its stated ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050 France will have to massively ramp up the production and share of renewables, studies have repeatedly shown.
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What is going through the minds of activists who object to nuclear energy? France already gets most of its electricity from nuclear reactors, it wouldn’t take much more capacity for France to get 100% of its electricity from zero carbon nuclear.
Yet greens are wailing that renewables appear to be downgraded?
Why? What is so important about renewables? Why should any green care whether the emission reductions are achieved by nuclear energy rather than renewables? Haven’t they got a planet to save?