France To Shut 17 Nuclear Reactors by 2025

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--France, the second-largest nuclear energy nation in the world, could be set to close 17 nuclear reactors in the next eight years.

Nicolas Hulot, the French environment minister under the new government, announced that the country could shut the reactors by 2025 to honour the commitments made by the previous government to reduce the country's overwhelming reliance on nuclear power to 50%. France operates 58 reactors that supply just more than 75% of the nation's electricity. The reactors have a combined capacity of 63.2-gigawatts (GW), producing 436 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity. The previous French government under President Francois Hollande committed itself to cutting that reliance to 50%, while boosting its investment in renewable energy. For additional information, see October 16, 2014, article - France to Cut Nuclear Reliance to 50%.

"To meet the target, it's clear enough that you need to close a certain number of reactors," Hulot told French radio station RTL. "It could be as many as 17 reactors--we'll have to take a closer look. Every reactor comes with its own unique economic, social and even security context."

Earlier this year, before the elections, the previous government issued a decree to shut the country's oldest nuclear plant, Fessenheim, by 2020. It ordered operator Électricité de France SA (EPA:EDF) (Paris, France) to shut the plant when the new nuclear power plant at Flamanville comes online in 2020. For additional information, see April 24, 2017, article - French Government Orders Closure of Oldest Nuclear Plant.

France embarked on a massive nuclear build programme in the 1970s in response to the 1973 oil crisis. The country set out to achieve energy independence and built most of its 58 reactors in just seven years. Many of those plants, despite having been granted 10-year extensions are approaching their 40-year lifetime end.

In recent years, France has been embarking on its first large scale investment in renewable energy by holding a series of offshore wind auctions. France's first ever offshore wind tender was concluded in 2012. For additional information, see April 12, 2012, article - EDF Wins Majority of French Offshore Projects. Since 2012, there have been two offshore wind tenders calling for the construction of six windfarms with a combined generating capacity of 3 GW by 2020. A third offshore tender process for the Dunkirk region off the northern coast of the country is planned.

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