Expand renewable energy, use energy more efficiently, push back nuclear power – Economic and Energy Minister on the occasion of the third anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima
Expanding renewables, push back nuclear power in Europe
0The Fukushima nuclear disaster on 11 March 2011, not only a worldwide debate about the dangers of nuclear energy triggered, but also the move towards renewable energy continues to accelerate.”We’re in Austria already in the midst of the energy transition., With a share of renewable energy in electricity consumption by well over 70 percent, we are well positioned and located in international comparison in the leading group,” says Economy and Energy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner. “Austria has drawn the right conclusions from Fukushima., The more eco-expansion pushes the already low computational nuclear power share to decline gradually. Through an improved current labeling and the more efficient use of energy we want to achieve the accounting independence of nuclear electricity imports in the future,” said Mitterlehner .
Austria has fourth-highest renewable share in the EU
New figures from Eurostat underpin the good position of Austria: the share of renewable energy in total gross already was in 2012 at about 32 percent, thus Austria finished fourth in the EU comparison. “We are therefore still very optimistic that we can exceed the reported to the EU 2020 target of 34 percent. European Union average is a target of 20 percent,” says Mitterlehner. “We want to strengthen Austria’s pioneering role, but we also need it to increase the efficient use of energy,” says Mitterlehner. Is all the more important that the promotion campaign for the thermal rehabilitation despite the fiscal consolidation necessary total could be further secured and is again in 2014 endowed with 100 million euros.
Nuclear power is no climate action
In addition Mitterlehner reaffirms the clear anti-nuclear position in Austria. In this sense, Austria has in the previous year prevents originally thought by the European Commission Enlargement of the funding area of ​​environmental and energy aid guidelines on nuclear energy cooperation with other countries. “Nuclear power is not a sustainable form of energy supply still a viable option to combat climate change,” Mitterlehner clarifies.