Macron Announces Plans to Build More Nuclear Reactors

French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to build more nuclear reactors to meet France’s green energy goals. (Wikimedia Commons).

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on November 9 that France will build new nuclear reactors in order to meet the country’s green energy goals and reduce reliance on foreign energy supplies. His remarks came as climate negotiators discussed measures to combat climate change at the Glasgow summit. 

Earlier in his term, Macron promised to reduce the contributions of nuclear energy in France’s energy mix from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2035, according to Reuters. However, soaring energy prices in Europe have made energy production a priority in France. “If we want to pay for our energy at reasonable prices, we need carbon-free energy,” said Macron.

“To guarantee France’s energy independence, to guarantee our country’s electricity supply, and to reach our goals—notably carbon neutrality in 2050—we will for the first time in decades revive the construction of nuclear reactors in our country, and continue to develop renewable energy,” he said in the announcement.

 Macron offered no further details, but had already pledged one billion euros by 2030 for atomic power, primarily for designing small modular reactors (SMRs), in October, according to the French news site The Local. He is also expected to announce the construction of six new Evolutionary Power Reactors (EPRs), third generation pressurized water reactors, around Christmas, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported on October 18.  

Electricite de France SA (EDF), the state-owned electric utilities company responsible for the majority of France’s electricity, is urging France to start building new nuclear power plants. France’s existing nuclear energy infrastructure is aging, and most of EDF’s nuclear power plants are scheduled to be shut down by 2050 or earlier.

SMRs and EPRs have the advantage of being safer and more efficient than traditional reactors, and they produce less waste. However, an EPR reactor being built by EDF at Flamanville along the Atlantic coast has exceeded its budget and has been delayed for nearly a decade due to technical problems. The Flamanville reactor was originally slated to open in 2012, and the French government has declined to clarify when the reactor will begin production.

Previously, the government said it would not build any new EPR reactors until the Flamanville project was completed, but Macron’s recent statements suggest that France will begin production on new EPRs before the Flamanville one is complete. Le Figaro cited the impact of Europe’s energy crisis on household spending as a motivating factor in Macron’s promotion of new EPR technology, particularly with France’s presidential election in April.

Macron’s position is expected to become more clear in the coming months once he formally announces the building of the new EPRs. “The president will probably express his preference and his orientation on the scenarios before the end of the year,” Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili said on October 26. Nevertheless, Pompili said that there will not be a final decision until after the presidential election in April.