ENERGY UNION PACKAGE: questionable way of dealing with figures “nearly 30” or 26.9 or 13.6?
In their “Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy“ the European Commission stresses the alleged important role of nuclear energy to climate protection.
Under the headline “An Energy Union for Research, Innovation and Competitiveness” there is the claim, that “the EU should also ensure that it maintains technological leadership in the nuclear domain, …so as not to increase energy and technology dependence”
Note: the statistical office of the European Union (eurostat) regards nuclear energy officially as “domestic energy production” * referring to an international convention (IEA / OECD, UNECE) **.
During the presentation of the strategy paper EU Energy Commissioner Cañete announced, that the use of nuclear energy should “just to be safe,” and that “one should to see what happens with the nuclear waste, with disposal”. European Commission Vice Šefčovič announced that he will provide “an illustrative expansion plan” for nuclear power plants in Europe by the end of this year.
All these statements about the importance of nuclear energy for “climate protection”, “economic efficiency” and “independency from imports,” are based the claim that “nuclear energy presently produces nearly 30% of the EU’s electricity”. This way of dealing with figures is questionable. According to the latest eurostat figures (2013) the share of nuclear energy was 26.9 %, tendency decreasing.
The exclusion of the other energy sectors, such as the CO2-intensive transport or heat-sector is unmasking. The share of nuclear of the EU’s gross inland energy consumption was as low as modest 13.6%.
No matter if it is ignorance or intention behind this way of handling facts, in both cases it will be hard to convince this EU Commission to take back the scandalous granting of subsidies for the construction of new nuclear power plants at the Hinkley Point site. In addition to various utilities the governments of Austria and Luxembourg take this case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
But also the citizens can do something, because they are entitled to submit a complaint against the approval of nuclear subsidies. The “electricity rebels” of the Elektrititätswerke Schönau have pre-formulated a complaint. With the assistance from Schönau more than 60 000 people have already protested following the motto No Money for Nuclear Power – Stop Brussels!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
*the total amount of electricity produced in nuclear facilities in the EU-28 increased by 23.0 %, reaching a peak of 1 008.4 million GWh in 2004. Then between 2004 and 2013, the total production of nuclear power in the EU-28 decreased by 13.1 % http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Nuclear_energy_statistics
* Maybe you have to follow the bizarre logic that the uranium mines in Kazakhstan (32%), Canada (16%), Australia (11%), Niger (8%), Namibia (7%) … are simply closer to Europe than the sun with a distance of 8.3 light-minutes
