French President Emmanuel Macron arrives with Head of Paris 2024 Tony Estanguet to talk to staff members at the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, in Saint Denis, outside Paris, Oct 14, 2021.
PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron wants to announce before Christmas the construction of six new nuclear European Pressurized Water Reactors in France, Le Figaro reported on Monday.
The impact of Europe’s gas crisis on energy prices, and the knock-on effect on household spending power six months out from France’s next presidential election, had accelerated the decision to commit to EPR technology, the newspaper added
The impact of Europe’s gas crisis on energy prices, and the knock-on effect on household spending power six months out from France’s next presidential election, had accelerated the decision to commit to EPR technology, the newspaper added.
An Elysee spokesperson declined to comment.
Early in his presidency, Macron pledged to reduce nuclear power’s contribution to France’s energy mix to 50 percent from 75 percent by 2035. But the energy crisis is changing the mood in Paris.
“The energy crisis shows we are right to chose nuclear for our green energy transition,” Le Figaro quoted an un-named senior government official as saying.
Previously, the government had said it would not launch any new EPR reactor projects until EDF’s EPR nuclear power plant in Flamanville, northwestern France, is completed.
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However, on Oct 1, Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said here France could decide to build six new reactors before Flamanville is fully operational. Flamanville has suffered a decade of delays and huge cost overruns, and ministers still decline to say when it will go online.
