the cost of building six new generation reactors in France is estimated at 51.7 billion euros

Announcements, and a price. The cost of building a program of six new-generation EPR2 nuclear reactors, recently announced by Emmanuel Macron, is estimated at 51.7 billion euros, according to a government report published on Friday February 18.

This amount does not include financing costs, which would amount to 4.6 billion euros, in the event of difficulty in implementation. EDF, for its part, is talking about fifty billion euros.

The commissioning of the first EPR2 is “planned for 2037”, according to the report based on two external audits. The total duration of construction is nearly twenty-five years and that of operation is sixty years, from commissioning. However, the industrial construction program “not yet finalized, technical and economic uncertainties remain” and “the costing of the program like its schedule cannot be completely stabilized”, however, the report points out.

Radioactive waste “similar to that” of current power plants

The report also addresses the issue of waste generated by this project. “The waste that would be produced by new EPR2 type reactors is similar to that already produced by the operation of the current fleet”, he notes. Regarding the fate of the most radioactive, “at this stage, no redhibitory elements to their reception in the Cigéo center have been identified”, in the Meuse. However, it will take “adjust”, even “if necessary, reinforce or complete with operations on a larger scale” the maintenance strategy for Cigeo’s underground structures, depending on the results of monitoring and the duration of operation of the site.

President Emmanuel Macron recently announced, in Belfort, a program for six new generation EPR2 reactors and the study for eight more.