In a written answer to a parliamentary question on 4 August 2026, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen signalled that the European Commission is considering including nuclear power in the labelling of data centres, responding to concerns that the EU's Cloud and AI Development Act penalises nuclear-powered facilities. The answer, given on behalf of the Commission, states that following the open public consultation on the draft act, the Commission is "considering the feedback received from Member States and stakeholders to include the use of nuclear power in the labelling of data centres, in line with the principle of technological neutrality." Virkkunen also rejected claims that Article 11 of the proposal disadvantages nuclear energy, arguing that the provision does not reference the renewable energy consumption metrics that would favour other technologies.
The answer comes in response to a question tabled by a cross-party group of MEPs, including Sarah Knafo (ESN), Adrian-George Axinia (ECR), and Auke Zijlstra (PfE), who had asked how the Commission reconciles promoting small modular reactors (SMRs) in Article 4 of the Cloud and AI Development Act with performance indicators in Article 11 that they said penalise nuclear-powered data centres. The MEPs noted that on 26 May 2026, ten Member States, including France, wrote to the Commission condemning the departure from technological neutrality and demanding that nuclear be recognised as sustainable alongside solar and wind. The Commission's proposal, presented on 3 June 2026, aims to triple EU data centre capacity, with Article 4(1)(e) explicitly identifying SMRs as a possible energy source.
Virkkunen's answer clarifies that Article 11(1) of the proposal only refers to letters (a) to (n) of the relevant metrics and does not include those concerning renewable energy consumption (letters (o) to (r)), which she said preserves technological neutrality. This approach, she argued, allows competent authorities to assess projects based on overall energy performance rather than favouring specific generation technologies. The answer does not commit to a specific timeline for revising the labelling scheme, but the reference to considering feedback suggests a potential amendment to the delegated regulation or the final act.
The response reflects a balancing act between the Commission's climate goals and the demands of nuclear-advocating member states and industry stakeholders. For data centre operators, the potential inclusion of nuclear in labelling could reduce compliance costs and expand energy options, while for renewable energy producers, it may dilute the emphasis on renewables in sustainability criteria. National authorities in nuclear-friendly countries, such as France, would gain greater flexibility in approving projects, whereas environmental NGOs may view the move as weakening the push for renewable energy. The Commission's stance aims to maintain technological neutrality, but the final decision will hinge on the legislative process and the outcome of the public consultation, with the European Parliament and Council set to scrutinise the proposal in the coming months.