![\"hydrogen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1-1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMake sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n A draft of those rules, seen by Reuters, said the Commission will by July 2028 assess a classification for hydrogen produced using nuclear energy \u2013 meaning that a hydrogen producer has signed a power purchase agreement with a nuclear plant.<\/p>\n Brussels will start consulting on the nuclear rules by June 2026, the draft added.<\/p>\n Emmanuel Brutin, Director General of industry group Nuclear Europe, said this timeline would hamper the development of nuclear-based hydrogen compared with other types of the fuel.<\/p>\n He <\/strong>said in a statement,<\/p>\n This unjustified three-year delay gives an unfair competitive advantage to hydrogen produced through renewables,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The EU passed rules in 2023 confirming how hydrogen produced from renewable energy can count towards Europe\u2019s green goals.<\/p>\n EU countries are at odds over nuclear power\u2019s role in Europe\u2019s energy transition, and political clashes over the issue have stalled negotiations<\/a> on numerous EU policies in recent years.<\/p>\n Pro-nuclear countries including France, Poland and Sweden say Brussels should do more to recognise nuclear power. Others, including Germany and Denmark, have opposed mixing nuclear into some green policies, which they said could distract from the huge expansion of wind and solar needed to meet climate goals.<\/p>\n Nuclear energy produces no CO2 emissions, but it is not a renewable source of energy like wind or solar. Proponents cite nuclear reactors\u2019 ability to produce base-load power regardless of weather conditions like sunshine or wind, while opponents raise issues including the disposal of radioactive waste.<\/p>\n Most hydrogen consumed by European industries today is produced using fossil fuels. The EU aims to gradually replace this<\/a> with hydrogen produced using emissions-free energy.<\/p>\n Experts from EU countries will discuss the EU\u2019s draft proposal on Thursday.<\/p>\n A European Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the draft. <\/p>\n The spokesperson <\/strong>said,<\/p>\n We are committed to finding a balanced solution which works in all member states and clarifies the rules for the various hydrogen pathways,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Reporting by Kate Abnett Editing by Tomasz Janowski<\/p>\n READ<\/strong> the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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