Svenja Schulze, Germany’s environment minister, stated ahead of a meeting with colleagues from EU member states that renewable energy and climate action are part of the answer to an energy crisis like the one that Europe is presently experiencing. “The steadfast growth of renewable energies reduces our reliance on fossil fuel imports and, as a result, is the answer to the problem,” Schulze told reporters ahead of the EU Environment Council.
“The only approach to safeguard us against further price increases is a quick EU-wide growth of wind and solar electricity,” she added. Nuclear power, on the other hand, is “not the answer,” according to the minister. She claims it is significantly more expensive than renewable energy, has substantial follow-up expenditures, and is not sustainable. “That is why I am hesitant to assign a sustainability rating to nuclear power.”
Following the coronavirus epidemic, demand for energy sources such as natural gas has increased, but supply has not kept up, and European storage levels are abnormally low for this time of year. Today (6 October), EU environment ministers will gather in Luxembourg to discuss the European Commission’s plan to change energy and climate legislation, known as the Fit for 55 package, as well as the rise in energy costs.