But what makes Julia Cantel run? The pride of working on the largest nuclear site in Western Europe? The desire to show that women can successfully pursue a scientific and technical career, even when they do not come from a privileged social background? Both, certainly.
At 38 years old, this rising figure in the French nuclear industry, charged by EDF with safety on the enormous Hinkley Point C site, west of London, seems invested with a mission. When she is not dealing with neutronics or thermohydraulics on the future British power station, she promotes the energy of the atom wherever it goes. In front of business leaders, elected officials, students, on his LinkedIn account with 23,000 subscribers and even, on occasion, in kindergarten! The day of this meeting, Julia Cantel returned from a trip to Cambridge University. A few days earlier, she was talking in front of future engineers from the Paris School of Chemistry, “the best in its field”. It was there, in his third year, that his passion for nuclear power truly blossomed, with the opening, out of curiosity as much as challenge, of a work on the transmutation of minor actinides.
“Return the favor”
What does she tell her many audiences? “Factual,” she swears. Students often do not realize the advantages of nuclear power in terms of carbon footprint. Furthermore, 75% of young people aged 24 to 35 still think that nuclear power pollutes. There remains so much needs to be done to correct this image.” This is good, Julia Cantel assumes her professorial side. She also wants to “return the favor”. “I’m lucky to have a good situation. If my career can inspire that of other young women, then that’s perfect,” confides the woman who was not predestined to break into this world.
Difficult school in the Paris suburbs – we won’t know which one, so as not to stigmatize the place – Italian immigrant parents working in social assistance… At high school, Julia considered enrolling in BTS aesthetics-cosmetics, before her main teacher encouraged him to choose a scientific career. So as not to “spoil” your good results. She will never forget this helping hand from destiny. Even when her notoriety takes off with a series of distinctions: 1st Fem’Energia prize, in 2020, 1st Woman Engineer of France prize, in 2023, the year in which she enters the world’s top 3 of women under 40 working in nuclear power, according to the Women in Nuclear (WIN) association…
During a Franco-British summit at the Elysée Palace in 2023, she gave a speech on the climate to Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “The very evening of the event, she called me,” confides Isabelle Poli, honorary president of WIN France. “She said to me: ‘You know? They applauded me!’” How could- could it be otherwise? In addition to being a workaholic, everywhere she goes, Julia Cantel is unanimously appreciated. “She combines technicality, leadership and open-mindedness,” says François Goulain, deputy director for safety of the EDF nuclear fleet and former boss of the Gravelines power plant, in the North, where the young woman worked four years before. to fly to England.
Performance thanks to “soft skills”
His way of managing, in particular, made an impression. “Within her team, decisions were made in a collegial manner. She had also set up a daily discussion moment, entitled ‘It’s not rocket science’, during which she would discuss a particular subject linked to her activity. At the time, it was unprecedented. Thanks to its collaborative methods, it significantly reduced accidents in maintenance operations,” recalls the former director of the Gravelines site. These innovations will also earn him a prize. And unwavering bonds with the members of his team. “It was an incredible experience. Four years later, we are still texting each other,” confirms Julia Cantel. François Goulain agrees: “Working on ‘the giantess’ [le surnom donné à la centrale nordiste], it marks. It’s like in the navy: there are several nuclear ships, but only one Charles de Gaulle.“
At Hinkley Point C, Julia Cantel continues her career in unusual sizes. Ultimately, the plant will provide electricity to 6 million homes for sixty years. “The day the dome was installed, we watched the event as a family, with my husband, also at EDF, my 9-year-old son and my two daughters aged 7 and 4. I have no doubt about the means that the project will be completed. We have provided 70% of the equipment, the four steam generators have arrived,” specifies the young woman. Unfailing optimism? “She has the gift of transforming a problem into a challenge to be solved, through the strength of the collective,” assures François Goulain.
“We need people like her,” enthuses Isabelle Poli. “Women often censor themselves. Many think that they are not capable of working in the nuclear industry or of accessing positions of responsibility. However, if they cross paths with someone like Julia who tells them that it’s possible, that changes everything.” Because the glass ceiling remains a reality. Although 24% of women work in the nuclear industry, their presence rate drops to 10% in management positions and less than 5% in executive committees. Of course, things are changing. France has, for example, four women plant directors. A record. “But we must go further,” confides Julia Cantel. “The sector needs to hire 100,000 people in ten years. The message is clear: we cannot do it without women.”
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