France proposes six new nuclear reactors to start construction in 2027.

[NNadir]

France mobilises nuclear industry for growth

Subtitle:

A strategic contract has been signed between the major French industrial players, the government and trade unions aimed at coordinating the country's nuclear industry for the planned life extension of current reactors and the construction of new ones.

Some excerpts:

In February 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the time was right for a nuclear renaissance in France, saying the operation of all existing reactors should be extended without compromising safety and unveiling a proposed programme for six new EPR2 reactors, with an option for a further eight EPR2 reactors to follow. The first three pairs of EPR2 reactors are proposed to be built, in order, at the Penly, Gravelines and Bugey sites. Construction is expected to start in 2027.

However, since that announcement, "there has been no common framework for coordination between the various stakeholders", the French Nuclear Strategic Committee (CSFN) said.

The nuclear industry, government and trade unions have now signed a strategic contract, through which they agree to cooperate in preparing for life extension and new build projects. The contract is the result of extensive consultation under the leadership of CSFN and establishes a shared vision and strong commitment for the 2025-2028 period...

...The agreement is organised around four fundamental major axes: industrial performance (guaranteeing the quality and timely completion of projects by relying on a robust, competitive, and collaborative supply chain); competences (addressing the recruitment and training needs to achieve an average of 10,000 hires per year, while developing employees' skills); research and innovation (dedicating substantial resources to R&D to accelerate the deployment of next-generation technologies, including small modular reactors, as well as advancements in fuel cycle and radioactive waste management); and transitioning to a low-carbon energy (embedding the sector within the broader framework of carbon neutrality by ensuring low-emission electricity production, supporting European greenhouse gas reduction targets)...

I'm really happy that my son speaks French and is a rising nuclear engineer. When he was in high school, where he won the Senior French Award, I kind of thought to myself that French was a useless language, and was happy when he decided to learn Chinese on his own. I was wrong about French being useless. (After his freshman year as an undergraduate he did spend a summer in France on an NSF grant studying polymer derived ceramics.)

When he finishes his Ph.D., I hope he'll be able to get the hell out of the United States to become one of those 10,000 employees to be hired each year in France. If the United States pulls out of the intellectual and moral tailspin after TACO dies and with him, his cults, he can come back here to help us rebuild out of the ruins.

France has the capability to become the powerhouse of Europe, a major exporter of electricity. They also have the most experience at running reactors on MOX (mixed oxide fuels) that exploit the use of plutonium as a fuel, a key to a sustainable future. It's nice to see this.