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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--France is powering ahead with legislation to fast-track the construction of more nuclear reactors as the country faces unprecedented outages with its existing fleet.
In a bill presented to the Council of Ministers, the fast-tracking of new nuclear power projects was presented as an "imperative" for both environmental benefits and for energy independence. It stated that the bill is a response to the "urgency of a climate crisis which threatens our ecosystems, our societies, the future of the young generations and, on the other hand, of a crisis of sovereignty and security of energy supply in 2022 following the Ukrainian conflict." In February, Industrial Info reported that French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to build six new reactors based on the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) design from Électricité de France SA (EDF) (Paris, France), evaluate the need for up to eight more, and forge ahead with the development of small modular reactors (SMRs). For additional information, see February 23, 2022, article - France Wants Six New Nuclear Reactors.
The bill was light on specifics, but it is expected that the changes will shave years off the planning process. It aims to create a framework for accelerating administrative procedures for reactors being planned near or next to existing nuclear plants on the country's coast. This will involve bringing local planning into line with national objectives and allowing for the compulsory purchase of land for projects that are deemed in the national interest.
France is Europe's leading nuclear power nation with 56 reactors supplying around three-quarters of its electricity. However, over the past year it has gone from being a major exporter of spare electricity to Europe's grid to becoming a net importer of energy, thanks to a growing number of technical issues suffered by its reactors alongside outages caused by planned maintenance issues. Today, only half of the country's reactors are operating.
Earlier this year, EDF revealed that the nuclear fleet would supply 10% less power in 2022 due to extended outages at five nuclear reactors. Last December, cracks were found near welds on a safety cooling system for two reactors at the Civaux plant in central France during routine safety checks by EDF. Two further reactors at Chooz were shut down as a precaution because they are built to the same design and may also be affected. France's nuclear regulator IRSN revealed that the 1,300-megawatt (MW) Penly 1 reactor was suffering from the same corrosion problem. Similar issues have been found at a number of other reactors while the restart of the Penly 1 and 2 reactors in the north of France has been pushed back by months after stress corrosion was found following ultrasonic checks during scheduled maintenance. Last week, Industrial Info reported that EDF was forced to delay the restart of the Penly nuclear plant until 2023. For additional information, see November 14, 2022, article - EDF Delays Restart of Penly Nuclear Plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
In a bill presented to the Council of Ministers, the fast-tracking of new nuclear power projects was presented as an "imperative" for both environmental benefits and for energy independence. It stated that the bill is a response to the "urgency of a climate crisis which threatens our ecosystems, our societies, the future of the young generations and, on the other hand, of a crisis of sovereignty and security of energy supply in 2022 following the Ukrainian conflict." In February, Industrial Info reported that French President Emmanuel Macron wanted to build six new reactors based on the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) design from Électricité de France SA (EDF) (Paris, France), evaluate the need for up to eight more, and forge ahead with the development of small modular reactors (SMRs). For additional information, see February 23, 2022, article - France Wants Six New Nuclear Reactors.
The bill was light on specifics, but it is expected that the changes will shave years off the planning process. It aims to create a framework for accelerating administrative procedures for reactors being planned near or next to existing nuclear plants on the country's coast. This will involve bringing local planning into line with national objectives and allowing for the compulsory purchase of land for projects that are deemed in the national interest.
France is Europe's leading nuclear power nation with 56 reactors supplying around three-quarters of its electricity. However, over the past year it has gone from being a major exporter of spare electricity to Europe's grid to becoming a net importer of energy, thanks to a growing number of technical issues suffered by its reactors alongside outages caused by planned maintenance issues. Today, only half of the country's reactors are operating.
Earlier this year, EDF revealed that the nuclear fleet would supply 10% less power in 2022 due to extended outages at five nuclear reactors. Last December, cracks were found near welds on a safety cooling system for two reactors at the Civaux plant in central France during routine safety checks by EDF. Two further reactors at Chooz were shut down as a precaution because they are built to the same design and may also be affected. France's nuclear regulator IRSN revealed that the 1,300-megawatt (MW) Penly 1 reactor was suffering from the same corrosion problem. Similar issues have been found at a number of other reactors while the restart of the Penly 1 and 2 reactors in the north of France has been pushed back by months after stress corrosion was found following ultrasonic checks during scheduled maintenance. Last week, Industrial Info reported that EDF was forced to delay the restart of the Penly nuclear plant until 2023. For additional information, see November 14, 2022, article - EDF Delays Restart of Penly Nuclear Plant.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
