Dhe wait is over. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly stated for the first time on Thursday what exactly he envisions as the “revival” of nuclear energy he announced months ago. For this he visited a factory for power plant turbines of the American company General Electric in Belfort in eastern France.
Macron announced that he had made two decisions: firstly, to award the contract for the construction of six new nuclear reactors and to have the extent to which eight more reactors can be built. He did not provide any information about the costs; According to media reports, around 50 billion euros are estimated for the six new reactors alone. On the other hand, Macron wants to extend the life of the existing 56 reactors in France. No one should be disconnected from the network unless security requires it. Macron said he would have it checked whether it was possible to extend the term to more than 50 years.
50 offshore wind farms by 2050
There had been speculation in advance about the details of his “nuclear renaissance”. Plans for the expansion of existing power plant parks such as Penly in Normandy have existed for some time. But only now should they become reality. The new reactors are scheduled to go online by 2035. Macron promised that “significant progress” had been made in terms of security. The new reactors will not be of the same type as in Flamanville, where a new reactor has been under construction for 15 years, but a more modern version of the so-called European pressurized water reactor.
Read now F+ 3 months for €1/week and get access to all articles on FAZ.NET.
READ F+ NOW
Eight weeks before the French presidential election, Macron announced that he wanted to put the country’s future in energy and industrial policy back into his own hands. He spoke of wanting to strengthen his own “sovereignty” and emphasized that the expansion of nuclear energy would reduce dependency on other countries. This is also a response to the “historic crisis” on the energy market this winter.
But Macron also made it clear that he sees the future of French energy supply in a mix of renewable and nuclear energy. That’s why he wants to expand solar power and wind energy in Kraft, the latter mainly off the French coast. Macron said there should be 50 such offshore wind farms by 2050. A main focus should be on accelerating planning and construction. As in Germany, it also takes many years in France before new systems are connected to the grid.
The French President justified his nuclear course with the recently published analysis of the French electricity network operator RTE. According to this, a mix of 50 percent renewables and 50 percent nuclear energy France is around a third cheaper in the long term than a 100 percent power supply from renewables; Currently, the share of nuclear energy is around 70 percent and that of wind, solar and water power 20 percent, the rest is mainly natural gas. “We have to massively expand renewables,” said Macron, referring to the climate goals. But you need so much CO2-free electricity, that nuclear energy is also used.
Macron wisely chose the town of Belfort in the Burgundian Gate as the place to announce his nuclear renaissance. There is a piece of French industrial history in the factory there for power station turbines: until seven years ago, the train manufacturer Alstom manufactured the so-called “Arabelle” turbines here. Then the American company General Electric acquired the production site – with the approval of Macron, then Minister of Economy under President Francois Hollande, and under sharp criticism from left to right. It resonates to this day. But under Hollande, nuclear energy was seen as a phased-out model.
Macron addresses GE workers in Belfort.
:
Image: Reuters
That changed under Macron, who moved into the Élysée Palace in 2017. As president, he showed himself more and more pro-nuclear. The open commitment to build new power plants followed last autumn. In addition, as part of the France 2030 investment plan, one billion euros in public funds are to be invested in the promotion of so-called mini nuclear power plants. Turbines are now in demand again. They are the heart of new power plants, especially since the Macron government has been running a campaign to “reindustrialize” France for some time. So nothing suited the nuclear renaissance better than the return of the “Arabelle” to French hands. The energy company EDF, around 84 percent state-owned, and operator of the nuclear reactors in the country, was used for this. The sales contract was signed on Thursday. According to reports, the French put around 175 million euros on the table. The day before, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck had criticized France’s energy policy with its focus on nuclear power as backwards. “What France is doing at the moment is a very planned, capped energy supply for an old-fashioned industry,” said the Green politician.