Emmanuel Macron will detail Thursday, February 10 afternoon a vast nuclear recovery plan in France. The Head of State will be visiting the General Electric factory in Belfort, which manufactures giant steam turbines for power stations. He must announce the creation of new EPR reactors in the coming decades, and maintain nuclear power as the main source of electricity in France. Today the atom produces 70% of our electricity.
At least six new reactors
Emmanuel Macron will certainly model his recovery plan on EDF’s proposals in October, ie the creation of at least six new reactors. The group proposes to build them in pairs on three sites: first in Penly (Seine-Maritime), near Dieppe, then in Gravelines (North) and finally in Bugey (Ain) or Tricastin (Drôme). The first commissioning is estimated at 2035. The total cost of these six new EPRs will be 46 billion euros according to the Court of Auditors.
The Head of State is therefore betting on nuclear power and the construction of new reactors to take over from the oldest. The 32 oldest French reactors, commissioned for the most part in the 1980s, will a priori not be able to operate for more than 50 years. Initially, they even had to be stopped after 40 years. But this nuclear revival strategy is not unanimous, it is highly criticized by many NGOs and a large part of the left opposition. who demand to bet first on renewable energies.
Is nuclear power showing its limits?
Emmanuel Macron’s announcements come as nuclear seems weakened. 20% of the French fleet is shut down for work or inspections, in particular because of corrosion problems on security systems. EDF announced on Tuesday the shutdown of three additional reactors. To compensate for this drop in production, France imports electricity, which is expensive. The government also authorizes the last coal-fired power stations to produce more, which is not at all ecological. It also exists serious doubts about EDF’s ability to build new reactors since the Flamanville EPR site has had a series of setbacks. It will enter service, at best, in 2023, more than 10 years late. The initial cost of the project was almost multiplied by 4, the total bill is approaching 13 billion euros.
Before the speech of the Head of State, the Elysée defends nuclear power. “It’s ecological, it allows us to produce carbon-free electricity, it contributes to our energy independence and it produces electricity that is very competitive”, summarizes the presidency. Corn “Building a new nuclear reactor is not for 15 years, so we need renewable energies right away”, adds the Elysee. Emmanuel Macron could thus evoke the development of offshore wind turbines, which are less contested than onshore wind turbines. Another track, energy savings, with the objective of “reducing our consumption without losing quality of life or purchasing power”.