Nuclear power is on everyone’s lips before a particularly tense winter. And in particular in those of the opposition which accuses President Emmanuel Macron of having scuttled the atom. In an interview with Le Figaro, Olivier Marleix, president of the Les Républicains group in the National Assembly, wants a commission of inquiry to be set up on the subject. “We must both establish the responsibilities for this disaster and identify the means to rebuild our energy sovereignty without delay”, he believes.
He joins the salvoes of criticism, in particular on the right, which surround the management of this energy by the government. The boss of the LR deputies asks the government to revise the multi-annual energy program, because “the law still provides for the closure of 12 nuclear reactors”.
On the European electricity price rules, the MP believes that “everything needs to be reviewed. » « If France has to choose a subject of showdown in Europe it is that of the EDF nuclear power. The Commission must abandon its dream of dismantling,” he explains.
“If we want electricity to be cheaper, it has to be less rare”, judged this Tuesday on France 2 the boss of the senators Les Républicains Bruno Retailleau. He accuses the French president of having “scuttled nuclear power”.
“He did well to set the record straight”
Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of EDF (of which the State is an 84% shareholder, and which will be nationalized very soon), during the Medef summer school last Monday also went there with his criticism. “We lack arms, we don’t have enough teams (…) because we were told: “your nuclear fleet, it is declining”, recalled the manager, who must leave his post very soon. “Prepare to shut down the next twelve (power plants). Obviously we didn’t hire to do it, but to undo it. »
Only 24 of the 56 reactors in EDF’s nuclear fleet are currently in service, the others being shut down for scheduled maintenance operations or due to corrosion problems that were not foreseen. But the government now plans to build 14 nuclear reactors (including 8 as an option).
On BFMTV, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire came to defend government policy on the subject of the atom. “The president asked for the construction of six new nuclear reactors, he reaffirmed France’s desire to be a major nuclear power, he relaunched this activity, he also said that we had to turn to renewable energies. He did well to set the record straight”.
“It is not because we closed two reactors (in Fessenheim) following the decisions taken under the five-year term of Mr. Holland, that EDF was not assured that it would be necessary to continue to produce nuclear energy”, had defended on September 1 Élisabeth Borne.
“In the meantime, we have recorded that we are going to build new reactors, but on the existing fleet, it is very clear, there has never been any ambiguity. Obviously, this fleet must be extended, the necessary maintenance operations must be carried out and recruiting,” insisted the head of government.
Elisabeth Borne and Bruno Le Maire confirmed that the recruitment of the new boss of EDF was “being finalized”, without giving a date for an announcement or the name of a possible favorite. This change of head comes at a time when the State has initiated the 100% renationalization of the group.