The government intends to accelerate the construction of new reactors and extend the life of existing plants. Among the proposed measures, the abolition of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) is strongly criticized.
A technical text that ends up being controversial. The National Assembly seizes, Monday, March 13, the bill for the acceleration of nuclear power. Among the measures planned, a reform of nuclear safety has been strongly criticized for several weeks.
The deputies have four days to study the 650 amendments to this text intended to temporarily facilitate the construction of new reactors in France: six EPRs promised by Emmanuel Macron by 2035. Another, more political, programming bill multi-annual, is moreover expected at best for this summer.
This week, the government is counting on the traditional support of the right for the atom for adoption without too much difficulty at first reading, after the very broad vote of the Senate at the end of January. The executive had chosen to first go through the Luxembourg Palace before the National Assembly to save time. Franceinfo summarizes what this text contains.
Promote the construction of new reactors
The government’s first objective is to expand existing nuclear power plants. The bill aims to promote the construction of new reactors on existing sites, or near them. For this, the executive wants to simplify administrative procedures in order to “do not add a delay of two to three years to the construction of a reactor”according to the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.
The bill therefore provides for “exempt from permits to build installations and work to create new nuclear reactors”, according to the official Public Life website. Compliance with urban planning rules will be checked during the environmental authorization and the authorization to create, according to the same source.
The government wants the Littoral law to be set aside for the construction of new nuclear reactors by the sea, “if they are installed near or within the perimeter of the existing nuclear power plant”, also explains Public Life.
The text also shrinks “the deadlines for examining the work for the non-nuclear parts (earthworks, fences or parking lots necessary for the site, etc.). This work can start without waiting for the decree authorizing the creation of the reactor”says the official website.
From Belfort, Emmanuel Macron had set, in February 2022, the objective of building six EPR2 reactors. The next two EPRs should be located in Penly (Seine-Maritime)followed by two others in Gravelines (North), according to EDF’s plans, with the horizon 2027 for “the first pour of concrete” And “2035-2037” for commissioning, according to the government.
Extend current nuclear facilities
During his Belfort speech, Emmanuel Macron also wanted EDF and the Nuclear Safety Authority to study “the conditions for extension beyond 50 years” reactors. The text presented to the Assembly on Monday therefore intends to extend the life of current nuclear installations. For this, the government wishes to simplify “the periodic review procedure for reactors over 35 years old”, notes the Public Life site.
This measure comes as several cracks have been discovered on the reactors of the nuclear power plants of Penly and Cattenom (Moselle), according to the Nuclear Safety Authority. Yves Marignac, head of the nuclear expertise center at the Négawatt institute, is worried about the risk of cracks, defects or incidents. “To extend the life of the fleet, (…) is to expose oneself to the risk that this type of phenomenon is repeated, amplified and to increasingly complicated arbitrations, against nuclear safety and security. electric”he believes.
Merge the nuclear safety authorities
By a simple amendment added to the text, the government intends to reorganize the nuclear safety authorities. The bill provides for the abolition of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and the transfer of its experts, in particular to the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), the power station watchdog.
The objective is to “Streamline ASN’s review and decision-making processes to respond to the growing volume of activities linked to the relaunch of the sector”explained the Ministry of Energy Transition on February 8.
This nuclear safety reform aroused the ire of both IRSN and ASN unions. The inter-union of the Institute organizes a new day of strike Monday. IRSN employees are warning in particular about the end of the separation between experts and decision-makers.
For their part, the deputies of the Nupes denounce a project of “merger” “incomprehensible”. They judge “essential to maintain independence between the regulatory function (ASN) and that of expertise (IRSN)”.
Remove the objective of reducing nuclear power to 50% in the electricity mix
During the examination of the bill in the Senate, the parliamentarians removed the objective, set under the Hollande five-year term, of reducing the share of nuclear power to 50% of French electricity production by 2035. At the National Assembly , during the examination of the text in committee, the deputies validated this addition of the Senate.
In 2021, nuclear represented just over 75% of primary energy production in France, according to the Ministry of Energy Transition. The winter of 2022, however, saw the capacities of the sector fallin particular due to maintenance work or problems with cracks in the facilities. “During the year 2022, the availability of the nuclear fleet was systematically lower than the history of recent years (54% over the last twelve months against 73% on average over the pre-crisis period 2014-2019)” , note a report (PDF document) of the Electricity Transmission Network (RTE).