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President Emmanuel Macron outlined plans for a wave of new-generation atomic reactors as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions.
President Emmanuel Macron of France speaking at a turbine factory on Thursday. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he said.Credit...Jean-Francois Badias/Agence France-Presse, via Pool/Afp Via Getty Images
President Emmanuel Macron announced a major buildup of France’s huge nuclear power program on Thursday, pledging to construct up to 14 new-generation reactors and a fleet of smaller nuclear plants as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions and cut its reliance on foreign energy.
The announcement represented an about-face for Mr. Macron, who had previously pledged to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear power but has pivoted to burnishing an image as a pronuclear president battling climate change as he faces a tough re-election bid in April.
“What our country needs is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Mr. Macron said at a nuclear turbine factory in the industrial city of Belfort in eastern France as throngs of workers and political officials gathered around. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he added.
Mr. Macron’s move is seen as a pivotal moment in a growing debate over nuclear power in Europe. The divide has taken on new dimensions as leaders pledge to avert a climate catastrophe and grapple with an energy crisis that has sent prices for natural gas and electricity surging to record highs — in part because nuclear energy production has fallen.
Mr. Macron has been leading a coalition of like-minded countries in backing nuclear energy to speed up the push to net-zero emissions and energy independence. That has opened a rift with a group of nations led by Germany, which is wary of nuclear proliferation and will close its last atomic power plants this year, following a 2011 policy set by former Chancellor Angela Merkel after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan.
The French plan is aimed at cementing the country’s position as Europe’s biggest atomic power producer and positioning Électricité de France, or EDF, the troubled state-backed operator, to compete more aggressively against Chinese and American companies in the growing global market for nuclear energy.
With an estimated starting price of 50 billion euros ($57 billion), Mr. Macron’s blueprint consists of constructing six mammoth next-generation pressurized water reactors at existing nuclear sites around France starting in 2028, with an option to consider building up to eight more by 2050.
www.nytimes.com
President Emmanuel Macron of France speaking at a turbine factory on Thursday. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he said.Credit...Jean-Francois Badias/Agence France-Presse, via Pool/Afp Via Getty Images
President Emmanuel Macron announced a major buildup of France’s huge nuclear power program on Thursday, pledging to construct up to 14 new-generation reactors and a fleet of smaller nuclear plants as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions and cut its reliance on foreign energy.
The announcement represented an about-face for Mr. Macron, who had previously pledged to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear power but has pivoted to burnishing an image as a pronuclear president battling climate change as he faces a tough re-election bid in April.
“What our country needs is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Mr. Macron said at a nuclear turbine factory in the industrial city of Belfort in eastern France as throngs of workers and political officials gathered around. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he added.
Mr. Macron’s move is seen as a pivotal moment in a growing debate over nuclear power in Europe. The divide has taken on new dimensions as leaders pledge to avert a climate catastrophe and grapple with an energy crisis that has sent prices for natural gas and electricity surging to record highs — in part because nuclear energy production has fallen.
Mr. Macron has been leading a coalition of like-minded countries in backing nuclear energy to speed up the push to net-zero emissions and energy independence. That has opened a rift with a group of nations led by Germany, which is wary of nuclear proliferation and will close its last atomic power plants this year, following a 2011 policy set by former Chancellor Angela Merkel after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan.
The French plan is aimed at cementing the country’s position as Europe’s biggest atomic power producer and positioning Électricité de France, or EDF, the troubled state-backed operator, to compete more aggressively against Chinese and American companies in the growing global market for nuclear energy.
With an estimated starting price of 50 billion euros ($57 billion), Mr. Macron’s blueprint consists of constructing six mammoth next-generation pressurized water reactors at existing nuclear sites around France starting in 2028, with an option to consider building up to eight more by 2050.
France Announces Major Nuclear Power Buildup (Published 2022)
President Emmanuel Macron outlined plans for a wave of new-generation atomic reactors as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions.
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