Commission rejects state aid for nuclear energy | WPN World People News

European Commissioners held an orientation debate on the revision of the Commission’s energy and environmental aid guidelines that provide the framework for assessing national state aid measures.

One of the most controversial issues had been whether the new guidelines would include for the first time, rules for granting state aid to nuclear energy. According to reports after the meeting, the College of Commissioners rejected this notion, and the Commission will not present draft rules on state aid to nuclear power.

Commenting on the debate, Greenpeace EU legal strategist Andrea Carta said:

“Reason prevailed since the Commission signalled that new nuclear energy should not receive state support. Creating a framework for subsidies to new nuclear plants would have meant encouraging investments in an already mature technology that cannot deliver energy without passing enormous costs and risks onto European citizens and the environment. We are glad that a large number of Commissioners opposed this absurd notion.”

The Commission will now publish its proposal, to be followed by a two-month public consultation. It is expected to adopt the final guidelines during the first trimester in 2014.

Source: Greenpeace EU Unit