France announces major buildup of its nuclear plants
President Emmanuel Macron announced a major buildup of France's nuclear power program 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 Macron, who had previously pledged to reduce France's reliance on nuclear power but has pivoted to burnishing an image as a pro-nuclear president battling climate change as he faces a tough reelection bid in April.
“What our country needs is the rebirth of France's nuclear industry,” Macron said at a nuclear turbine factory in the city of Belfort in eastern France. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he added.
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. 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, to compete more aggressively against Chinese and U.S. companies in the growing global market for nuclear energy.
With an estimated starting price of 50 billion euros ($57 billion), 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.
Macron said France would also build a prototype small modular reactor — a new type of scaled-down nuclear power plant — by 2030, pitting the country against a growing number of others pushing out the technology.
Environmental groups denounced the plan, saying that Macron had not consulted Parliament or French citizens, and that nuclear power, which doesn't produce direct carbon emissions but generates long-term radioactive waste, was a nonstarter in the fight against climate change.