It was two years ago. After several months of investigation and dozens of often colorful hearings, deputies Raphaël Schellenberger and Antoine Armand delivered their report on the loss of energy independence of France. No less than 490 pages including around thirty recommendations for the country. A hailed work, which highlighted the errors spent in terms of energy choices.
Twenty-four months later, Raphaël Schellenberger, who chaired all hearings, draws the balance sheet of this titanic work. “I am divided, admits the Alsatian deputy. Admittedly, there has been a collective awareness linked to the exit of the report. Energy concerns have come back on top of the battery. However, strategic decisions should not continue to be too long. The future of the country depends on it.”
The conversation taking place just a few days after a prolific nuclear policy (CPN) in announcements, you could expect more enthusiasm. On March 21, the Elysee Palace unveiled the main principles of the financing scheme of the EPR2 program, which will have to be submitted to Brussels: a bonus loan covering at least half of the construction costs and a contract for a difference supposed to protect consumers, without using EDF’s finances too much. To ensure the sovereignty of the country, the CPN has also validated the strategy for the development of the mining activities of Orano and asked the manufacturers (EDF, Framatome, etc.), the atomic energy police station (CEA) and all the actors mobilized on the rapid neutron reactors (RNR) to design an industrial program to achieve the construction of a reactor capable of operating Our nuclear waste.
However, it takes more to impress energy experts. “Three years have passed since Emmanuel Macron’s Speech by Belfort Macron to sketch the funding scheme for future EPRs, which remain the spearhead of nuclear recovery. We have a real problem in France in the decision -making process”, deplores Raphaël Schellenberger.
The former president of the National Assembly Bernard Accoyer reviews the thirty proposals of the 2023 report. Endowing an energy ambition for the next thirty years at least, and a scientifically and industrial support programming? “I think this work has not been done,” tackles the specialist. Reform the European electricity market in the year and in depth? “This remains generally little different from what it was before the crisis”. Strengthen our sovereignty over the entire value chain? “It is not spectacular or very speaking so far”. Redo the nuclear sector the great French force? “There is still a long way to do, to say the least.”
Ultimately, few measures recommended in the report have really been implemented, sighs the former deputy, who presides over the nuclear heritage and climate association. In the government discharge, relaunching nuclear takes time. “When we stop building reactors for more than twenty-five years, and we send to the retirement of competent staff, specialized technicians, engineers, we lose know-how. Everything becomes more difficult: preparing the project, developing the design of new reactors …”, underlines Bernard Accoyer.
“We are afraid of making choices,” abounds Raphaël Schellenberger. “Without counting the blatant lack of technical analyzes”, worries Henri Wallard, former director general of Andra, the National Agency for Radioactive Waste, and author of State lie: ecological imposture (Fayard, 2025).
Two files illustrate these difficulties. The first concerns the multi -year energy programming (PPE), this 150 -page text, still in preparation, which must engage 300 billion euros by 2045. “This document is not projected enough in the long term,” said Henri Wallard. And above all, it gives pride of place to renewable energies without impact study. “If we massively deploy wind and solar, our electricity network risks being destabilized,” recently warned Bernard Accoyer, who deplores the government’s wish to validate this text by decree, thus avoiding any parliamentary debate. This thorny point will also be the subject of a press conference organized by several senators, deputies and energy experts on April 1. According to them, the PPE, as it is imagined today, can only lead to a significant increase in electricity prices.
Catch up
The other dossier which shows the unpreparedness of France in the face of the “French energy wall” mentioned by the deputy Antoine Armand in his eponymous book (Stock, 2024) is that of the SMR, these small modular nuclear reactors. Under the pretext that these are new projects, Emmanuel Macron wanted to make it a pillar of our energy strategy. But three years after Belfort’s speech, the balance sheet is not very glorious. EDF wiped a setback with his Nuward project. And the small 4th generation reactors have been the subject of a severe report, commanded by the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy Vincent Berger. “Apart from the small models that produce heat, everyone takes it for their rank in this document, underlines an energy expert: marketing times seem unrealistic, projects require innovative fuels, which involves building a dedicated sector but also to dig into strategic reserves in plutonium to design them.” Equity which makes the construction of operational reactors in reasonable time.
“Over the recent period, the real good surprise concerns the RNR”, tempers Henri Wallard. The demand, by the Elysée, of an industrial program and the announced departure of François Jacq from the head of the CEA are considered to be positive signals for defenders of the rapid neutron reactors. However, many experts are waiting for details. “A doubt remains in the formulation of the press release from the Elysée, underlines Bernard Accoyer: the work done on small 4th generation reactors meet the needs? Or is it going to have to relaunch an Astrid type project? It is not clear”.
“Skills are gone. We will not catch up with lost time,” recalls Claire Kerboul, doctor of physical sciences, specialized in nuclear physics and author of The urgency of sustainable nuclear power (De Boeck Supérieur, 2023). “On the side of uranium reserves, essential to operate our current nuclear reactors, France takes measures to maintain its level of energy independence, but not to increase it,” adds Teva Meyer, geographer and nuclear specialist. However, geopolitical risks rather tend to increase: for example, which would prevent China from taking hand, in the future, on certain uranium mines located in neighboring countries, slips an expert?
Finally, on energy issues, a greater involvement of all the elected officials of the nation would be welcome. “It will undoubtedly have to increase the role of the Parliamentary Office for the Assessment of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST), in order to regularly assess the policies implemented,” concludes Henri Wallard. This Tuesday, April 1, senators and deputies will challenge the State on the future PPE and its possible consequences on electricity prices. It’s a good start. But it still remains so much to do to consolidate our energy independence.
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