Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that France will build nuclear power plants again to comply with climate commitments, such as reducing the planet’s temperatures, along with the development of renewable energies.
“For the first time in decades, we are going to relaunch the construction of nuclear reactors and continue to develop renewable energies,” announced the French president, in order to meet climate goals, such as carbon neutrality by 2050.
In his opinion, this allows him to “live up to” his commitments, at the height of the meeting of almost 200 countries in Glasgow for the UN climate conference (COP26). “This is a strong message from France,” added the president.
In a context of rising gas, electricity and fuel prices, which forced his government to act, Macron also defended that this measure will ” guarantee energy independence ” and “electricity supply.”
“If we want to pay for our energy at reasonable prices and not depend on abroad, we need to continue saving energy and investing in the production of decarbonized energy,” he stressed.
The second largest economy in the European Union (EU), which generates most of its electricity through nuclear energy, is currently only building one new generation nuclear reactor, although it is studying the construction of another six EPRs.
In October, the president already announced the investment of 1,000 million euros in small modular nuclear reactors, in his plan to reindustrialize France by 2030 and decarbonize its economy.
Nuclear energy generates practically no greenhouse gases, but its use to limit global warming divides countries and experts, especially because of the waste it produces and its public image.
This energy source, which represents 10% of world electricity production, thus progresses in most scenarios of the UN climate experts (IPCC) to limit global warming to 1.5 ºC, compared to the end of the XIX century.
The centrist president’s announcements, who have not yet confirmed whether he is running for re-election in the April presidential elections, were quickly criticized by his eventual rivals, especially on the left and environmentalists.
“Nuclear energy must be abandoned. It is costly and dangerous, “said the leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who, like the ecologist Yannick Jadot, charged against the cost overruns and the delay of the reactor under construction in Flamanville.
