It powers lamps, often radiators, sometimes cars, but especially political discussions. In a few weeks, nuclear power has become one of the key topics of the presidential campaign. Whether they claim their support or their opposition to the atom, almost all of the candidates have publicly positioned themselves on the future of this energy source which produces two thirds of our electricity.
If the right and the Communist Party (PCF) promise new EPR reactors, the environmental left demands a more or less rapid closure of the plants. Emmanuel Macron, who has not declared himself a candidate for re-election, has recently delivered a battery of announcements to invest in the sector through the France 2030 plan.
“There was a certain historical consensus from the right to the moderate left to defend nuclear power. This is the first time that the debate has been so broad.”, Daniel Boy told franceinfo, Research Director at Cevipof, the cpolitical research input from Sciences Po. And this, while the French are still very divided on the subject. According to barometer of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) of May 2021, faced with the assertion “We must close the nuclear power plants”, 38% answer in the affirmative, while 32% lean for the “no” and 30% do not decide.
Why has this theme come to the fore in the countryside this time, like purchasing power, insecurity or health?
Because energy prices are soaring
Soaring prices for gas, electricity, gasoline… If nuclear power is back at the center of discussions, it is partly because energy issues have emerged in the news since the start of the school year. “It has strong and visible effects on daily purchasing power, which is the first concern of the French, so the theme of energy is inevitably included in the campaign”, justifies to franceinfo the entourage of Valérie Pécresse, who is seeking the LR nomination.
At the origin of this crisis, the global economic recovery which is pushing up the demand for energy, and therefore its price. The intermittency of renewable energies (ENR) is also considered responsible: without wind, wind turbines do not produce electricity, which, for example, forced the United Kingdom to buy gas at a high price to meet its demand energy, reports Numerama. In the eyes of its defenders, nuclear power is the guarantee of a constant supply of energy, independent of the global economic context and meteorological hazards.
The renewal of the atom is sold by its defenders as a pledge of energy sovereignty, while France has been facing for several months shortages of components or raw materials. The materials needed for the production of solar panels or wind turbines are largely imported. This is not the case for nuclear, defended by Xavier Bertrand, also in the running for the LR nomination. On franceinfo, the president of the Hauts-de-France region recently wanted France “keep its energy independence, that it does not depend on the Russians, that we are not at the whim of Vladimir Poutine and the way in which we are going to be supplied with gas”.
“The only way not to see an explosion in the energy bill in the years to come is to stay in control of our destiny.”
Xavier Bertrand, candidate for the nomination of the Republicanson franceinfo
But this argument can be reversed: France does not have on its territory the uranium necessary to manufacture the fuel supplying its fleet of 18 power plants and 56 reactors. On the other hand, it has sun and wind.
Because the opposition sees it as an angle of attack against Emmanuel Macron
Since December 2020, the President of the Republic has confined himself to a simple position: no decision on the construction of new reactors before the commissioning of the Flamanville EPR, at the earliest in 2023. But the executive has unveiled, on October 12, the France 2030 plan. A check for one billion euros of investments is planned in new experimental sectors, such as Small modular reactors (SMR), these minjets whose promoters praise the flexibility and reduced cost compared to conventional power plants. The decision on the new reactors could also arrive “a little early” compared to the initial promise, according to the Minister for Industry, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The opposition denounces an unfounded turnaround on the side of the Elysee Palace. And a plan validated by political opportunism.
“The president makes nuclear the heart of his environmental strategy. He knows that his record in terms of ecology is not good, and that it is a subject that particularly interests those under 35 who were not moved for regional elections. “
Matthieu Orphelin, unregistered environmentalistto franceinfo
The other candidates can take the opportunity to attack a presidential record deemed, depending on the camps, as too timid or, on the contrary, too favorable to the atom. “Emmanuel Macron says everything and the opposite of everything“, asserted Jordan Bardella, Friday, October 22, on franceinfo. “He rules according to the direction of the wind!” tackle Jonas Haddad, spokesperson for Xavier Bertrand: “He has closed [la centrale de] Fessenheim to please environmentalists, but when people realized that this policy would have untenable effects on energy prices, he shifted gears. “
The anti-nuclear people think, on the contrary, that Emmanuel Macron is revealed late: “From the start of his mandate, he thought of building six additional EPR reactors. Today, he assumes”, proclaims to franceinfo Matthieu Orphelin, recently appointed spokesperson for the environmental candidate Yannick Jadot.
On the side of the majority, we defend a coherent choice. “We have always said that decisions will be taken on the construction of new reactors at the time of the next PPE law [Programmation pluriannuelle de l’énergie] in 2023“, pleads Jean-Charles Colas-Roy, Member of Parliament for Isère and Ecological Transition referent at La République en Marche. “To decide, we must organize major public debates, which should take place in 2022. It is therefore normal that these questions are discussed as of the presidential campaign.”
And the deputy to stress that Emmanuel Macron already supports nuclear and renewable energies “at the same time”, with the recovery plan adopted during the health crisis. A way to pose as a pragmatic figure in the face of opponents presented as radical.
Because he is seen by some as a solution to the climate emergency
The exploitation of nuclear fission produces few greenhouse gases, in the same way as renewable energies. Defending atomic energy thus allows candidates to send a message: they have become aware of the climate and environmental issue, the second main concern of the French, according to an Ipsos-Sopra Steria poll for The world. From Marine Le Pen (RN) to Fabien Roussel (PCF) via the Minister of Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher, all his supporters highlight this vision of clean and carbon-free energy production.
But for opponents of the atom, investing in other renewable and clean alternatives, such as solar and wind, seems more appropriate. Faced with Eric Zemmour – who has not yet declared himself a candidate – Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI) insisted, during a recent debate on BFMTV, on the risks that climate change poses to power plants, flooding droughts, since power plants need cooling water. Without even addressing the seismic risk. Getting rid of reactors also makes it possible, according to the anti-nuclear industry, to avoid the risks associated with the management of radioactive waste.
According to Yves Marignac, head of the nuclear and fossil pole at the NegaWatt Institute, the atom is especially popular with certain contenders for the Elysée Palace because it makes it possible to tackle climate change without thinking in the long term: “We remain on a vision of growth, where we must always produce and consume more, certainly in a carbon-free manner. But we are going through a multiple and systemic crisis: limits of raw materials, land use, water, rising inequalities… To continue with this barely updated software is to rush us towards these other limits “, he laments to franceinfo.
Because the renovation of current plants is (very) expensive
About thirty reactors built in the 1980s are approaching their 40th birthday. This is precisely the minimum period over which the manufacturer of the reactors, Framatome (today Areva), had demonstrated their reliability. The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has agreed to extend their use by ten years, provided that heavy work is carried out. The price of this “large fairing”, launched in 2014 and planned to last until 2025, is estimated at 49.4 billion euros by EDF. But the actual level of the bill is debated: in 2016 the Court of Auditors reached the figure of 100 billion euros, including in its calculations investments and operating expenses until 2030.
“Now is the time to make a choice: do we invest these sums in nuclear power, which means that we will continue in this direction for several decades? Or is it not rather when to develop other types of energy? “ asks Franceinfo Alexis Corbière, spokesperson for Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Between pro and anti-nuclear, the debate always promises to be electric.