France wants to become independent for its energy resources. A bill presented this Wednesday, November 2 in the Council of Ministers goes in this direction. It is in particular a question of six new generation EPR reactors which should be built soon, and in parallel, the development of renewable energies.
The government’s objective is twofold. It is a question of securing the energy supply and accelerating the exit from fossil fuels. But it won’t happen in a day.
The government wants to save time by installing the future EPRs in particular on existing power plants. To do this, it will be necessary to simplify administrative procedures. The sites chosen to house the new reactors, mainly in the North and in the South of France, should thus be exempted from planning permission. Controls will be carried out by the State services. It is also a question of accelerating work on buildings not intended to receive radioactive substances.
Nuclear, 70% of the French energy mix
Installed on the sites of existing power plants, the future EPRs would be located, for the first two, in Penly, in Seine-Maritime, then Gravelines, in the North. The location of the third pair of reactors is not decided, the Rhone valley, with the Bugey or Tricastin plants, being considered.
France depends on nuclear power for around 70% of its electricity. It needs a real energy mix to meet its electricity needs, as the nuclear share may vary in the future. This is why the bill also aims to accelerate renewable energies, namely solar and offshore wind, whose deployment is seriously behind schedule.
(And with AFP)
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