The gas and nuclear industries have intensified lobbying efforts to be included under the climate section of the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy which determines which investments are “green.” The industry groups are worried that exclusion from a new “sustainable” list can prevent them from securing future financing.
In March, the union published a preliminary list under the new section which did not include nuclear power plants as well as most natural gas plants and pipelines. The EU is due to finalize the section this year to make sure investments are directed toward projects that support the bloc’s climate goals.
Reuters reported that since the start of 2018, EU officials and gas industry representatives had met 310 times. Nuclear industry groups have held 36 meetings, 10 of which were held since March 2020. Since March, gas and nuclear industries have met 52 times in person or virtually with EU policymakers.
