Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babis raised the topic of nuclear energy and its inclusion among sustainable sources at the European Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday. The head of the Slovak Government specified that he and Babis called on the European Commission to prepare a proposal by Christmas that would include nuclear energy among sustainable technologies. "We refuse to keep nuclear energy at an investment disadvantage. This is our demand, which we, along with a group of countries, are pushing for in the conclusion of the summit. It's currently disadvantageous for investors to finance the construction and modernisation of nuclear facilities when compared to renewables. It's key for us to change the current situation and to include nuclear energy among sustainable sources of energy," stressed Heger.
According to him, Slovakia supports the European goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, but the country cannot achieve climate neutrality and reduce carbon emissions without nuclear energy.
"Slovakia has decided to stop subsidising coal mining by 2023, and we need to replace this shortfall with another source," said Heger. He also stated that nuclear energy is stable and low-emission, which is why it is important in the transition to a green economy. Prime Minister pointed out that Slovakia's options are "historically given", as more than 50 percent of its electricity is produced from nuclear power, putting it in second place in the EU. When the third block of the Mochovce nuclear power plant is completed, the figure will be more than 70 percent.
On Friday, Slovak Prime Minister informed that: “The European Commission president assured us that she would launch a procedure by the end of this year that will declare nuclear energy sustainable." Energy price-related issues remain open and talks on them will continue at the March summit.
Source: TASR
