Europe needs to double down on affordable, homegrown, clean energy, be it renewables and nuclear, or biomethane and others, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in her state of the union address on 16 September.

She said Europe cannot remain an industrial powerhouse if its energy prices are structurally too high.

“When Russia cut off the gas we fought back. Our supplies are now more diversified. And we have invested in our homegrown clean energies – renewables and nuclear,” she said.

Von der Leyen said Europe must remain “technologically neutral” on its energy sources, but whatever sources it chooses “they must give us independence and drive down energy prices”.