Greenpeace activists blocked the site of the EPR nuclear reactor in Flamanville (Manche) for more than seven hours on Thursday and others entered the site, to denounce the “irresponsibility” of pro-nuclear presidential candidates, in the midst of a debate on the future of this energy in France.
Eight activists were arrested at midday after being chained for seven hours, most of the time in the rain and in the wind, in front of the entrances to the site, before being dislodged shortly before 1 p.m. by gendarmes, noted a AFP journalist.
Equipped with a grinder to saw off the metal padlocks that most activists wore around their necks, the police took nearly two hours to achieve their goal.
The activists had chained themselves around 5:30 am to tripods several meters high and a Greenpeace truck which blocked vehicle access to the site.
At the same time, seven other activists, including the director general of Greenpeace France Jean-François Julliard, briefly entered the site around 5:30 a.m. to deploy a banner there, according to the Cherbourg prosecutor’s office and EDF.
The 15 activities were or will be heard by the gendarmes on Thursday or Friday before being released, according to the prosecution, which will decide later on their fate.
The activists who blocked the access let the workers return on foot, but they left because EDF closed the site Thursday morning for the time of “checks” after the intrusion.
Activity resumed Thursday afternoon, according to the heavily indebted nuclear group.
Greenpeace activists chained to a tripod block an entrance to the Flamanville EPR site, March 31, 2022
© AFP – Sameer Al-DOUMY
“So much money has been spent on this dangerous technology” while “alternative” energies are available, Daron, a 53-year-old English activist, living in Corrèze, told AFP mid-morning, frozen, with a large padlock around his neck that chains him to one of the tripods.
“Neither fossil fuel nor nuclear, for peace,” read a sign in English above him.
– “Pro-nuclear candidates” –
With these two actions, Greenpeace intends “to denounce the irresponsibility of Emmanuel Macron and the other pro-nuclear candidates who want to build new EPR reactors when we see it with the situation in Ukraine, nuclear power is dangerous”, explained Nicolas Nace, in charge of energy transition at Greenpeace France.
“We also see it with the Flamanville EPR fiasco. It is a technology that still has many uncertainties,” he added.
Gendarmes in position behind Greenpeace activists who block the entrance to the EPR reactor site in Flamanville, March 31, 2022 in the Channel
© AFP – Sameer Al-DOUMY
Behind him, the van parked in front of the site displayed signs “Nuclear: Macron irresponsible” or “+ EPR + fiascos”.
In addition to the outgoing president, Greenpeace targets the RN candidate Marine Le Pen as well as Eric Zemmour (Reconquest!), Valérie Pécresse (LR) and the communist Fabien Roussel, according to Mr. Nace.
“Thank you for this demonstration so useful. In France, nuclear power has become a major danger”, for his part reacted on Twitter the LFI candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
This new “symbolic” action comes as President Emmanuel Macron announced on February 10 a program to build six EPR reactors in France by 2035, in addition to the one under construction in Normandy.
Launched at the end of 2007, the Norman site is 11 years behind schedule and its cost has risen to 12.7 billion euros according to EDF against 3.3 billion announced in 2006. The Court of Auditors has estimated the bill at 19 billion in 2020 .
Greenpeace activists block the entrance to the EPR reactor site in Flamanville, March 31, 2022 in the English Channel
© AFP – Sameer Al-DOUMY
The placing on the network of the first kilowatt is announced by EDF for 2023.
Greenpeace France requested at the beginning of 2022 “a moratorium” on the work, “in order to conduct a completely independent assessment of the viability of the EPR nuclear reactors”.
Since the end of the 1990s, Greenpeace has regularly entered the sites of nuclear power plants to denounce this energy. This earned him criminal convictions.
The Flamanville EPR is currently the only one under construction in France. Three EPR reactors have already been commissioned in two countries: two in China in 2018 and 2019, in Taishan, and one in Finland in mid-March.
But one of these Chinese EPRs has been shut down since July following a technical incident.
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