EU President Uses Iran War To Double Down On Plan To ‘Decarbonize’ Continent
The article reports that EU President Ursula von der Leyen linked the US-Iran confrontation to Europe’s decarbonization goals, arguing the crisis confirms the need to reduce fossil-fuel dependence and accelerate the transition to renewables and nuclear energy. It notes President Trump’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz and how the blockade would directly hit European consumers with higher energy costs, describing the situation as making the fossil-fuel crisis felt instantly in gas stations, groceries, and households. Oil prices have surged more than 50% since the start of Operation Epic Fury, underscoring Europe’s vulnerability to fossil-fuel shocks. von der Leyen urged Europe to press ahead with decarbonization, highlighting Europe’s assets-renewables and nuclear-that can provide independence, predictability, and energy security while noting challenges like limited refinery capacity that could strain jet-fuel supplies if Hormuz remains closed. The piece also cites past energy policies, including 2022 gas rationing and 2023 concerns that electrification could increase reliance on China for batteries and fuel cells.
European Union President Ursula Von Der Leyen said Monday that the conflict between the United States and Iran “confirmed” the EU’s plans to “decarbonize” the continent.
President Donald Trump announced the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to ships that paid Iran a “toll” for passage through the maritime chokepoint early Sunday, with the blockade starting at 10:00 a.m. Monday Eastern time. Von Der Leyen said in the statement that Europe was “paying a high price” for its need for fossil fuels, citing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Strait of Hormuz is essentially closed, and immediately citizens feel the impact at the gas station, in the supermarket and on the household bills. So what we are seeing in the Middle East is not some distant crisis, but in a world in which everything is connected, the effects are direct and they are immediate and this is, as I said, the second fossil fuel crisis in just a few years,” Von Der Leyen said.
“There’s one thing that all these events make clear we are paying a very high price for our overdependency on fossil fuels and the grim reality for our continent is fossil fuel energy will remain the most expensive option in the years to come.”
Oil prices have climbed from the market’s $67.02 close on Feb. 27, closing at $104.73 on Monday, an increase of more than 50% since the start of Operation Epic Fury. Von Der Leyen urged Europe to continue on its course of shedding reliance on fossil fuels.
“But on the other hand, we also have assets. Europe has assets,” Von Der Leyen said. “We have the electricity that is produced in Europe from renewables and from nuclear. Therefore, our strategy to decarbonize has not only been confirmed in the last years, but is growing in importance day by day.”
“We need to scale up the homegrown, affordable, reliable energy. That is the wide range of renewables we have, but it is also the nuclear energy of course, because they give us independence, predictability and energy security,” Von Der Leyen continued.
“The only lasting way out of the fossil dependency is to modernize by shifting electricity generation to renewables and nuclear, and by electrifying the economy as rapidly as possible.”
Airports Council International (ACI) Europe told EU leaders in a letter sent Thursday that an extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz could lead to a shortage of jet fuel. The letter noted that Europe’s lack of refinery capacity could lead to rationing.
The EU’s hostility to domestic fossil fuel production due to fears of “climate change” has left it dependent on foreign sources of energy. In 2022, the body agreed to ration natural gas following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rather than to increase domestic production.
In 2023, a document warned that Europe’s push for electrification could leave it dependent on the People’s Republic of China for batteries and fuel cells.
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