Since the initially six planned reactors will be built on the site of existing nuclear power plants, certain approval procedures could be dispensed with – this is what the bill aims to do. This should come to Parliament early next year.
According to media reports, President Emmanuel Macron could lay the foundation stone for a new nuclear power plant before the end of his second term in 2027. It would become operational between 2035 and 2037.
The law is not intended to lower environmental protection or safety requirements, but to speed up procedures, government spokesman Olivier Véran said after the cabinet meeting. Years could be saved on the way to the construction of the power plants.
The government’s draft law on the rapid construction of nuclear power plants has sparked protests as the results of a recently launched public participation on the future of nuclear power are not even awaited. The public debate, organized by the renationalising energy company EDF and the electricity grid company, started last week and will last until the end of February.
Unlike EU countries such as Germany, France intends to remain heavily dependent on nuclear energy for its energy supply. Macron announced a “renaissance of French nuclear power” in February. Six new nuclear power plants would be built and construction of another eight by 2050 would be explored.
France is the second largest nuclear energy producer in the world after the United States. The country currently has 56 nuclear reactors, but nearly half of them are currently off the grid for maintenance and repairs. For the coming winter, therefore, France relies on importing electricity from Germany and in return helps its neighbors with natural gas.
This predicament, which could last until next winter, is putting more pressure on the development of future energy production in Paris. At the same time, renewable energy sources therefore need to be expanded at an accelerated pace. A bill on this must also be discussed in the Senate on Wednesday. Macron recently demanded that renewable projects be implemented twice as fast as before.
(SDA)