French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would build at least six new nuclear reactors on Thursday, a major investment in the future of nuclear power that comes as his country seeks to reduce its reliance on foreign energy and make good on its pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Speaking to reporters at a nuclear turbine factory in Belfort, Macron said France would also consider building eight more reactors, bringing the number of possible new nuclear facilities to 14. The first of the new reactors could go online as early as 2035.
“We are fortunate in France to be able to count on a strong nuclear industry, rich in know-how and with hundreds of thousands of jobs,” Macron said in announcing the blueprint. “We are now convinced, and I think that it’s scientifically established, that if we want to succeed in the climate transition, the energy sovereignty of our country, and industrial production, we have to make this choice.”
EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCE ‘MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH’ ON NUCLEAR FUSION ENERGY
Macron’s announcement marks one of the world’s largest modern investments in nuclear power plant construction and comes as France seeks to cement nuclear power as a mainstay of its energy in the decades to come. Europe is also in the throes of an energy crisis, intensifying the country’s push for a clean, reliable form of power.
As part of the ambitious plan, Macron said, France will also seek to extend the lives of its older nuclear plants from 40 years to 50 years, so long as scientists can prove it can happen safely.
Currently, France relies on nuclear power to generate more than 70% of its total electricity and boasts the second-largest fleet of reactors worldwide.
But the country has fallen from its once-dominant status in recent years, as its fleet of 56 nuclear facilities begins to age and incur a growing list of costly repairs.
The existing reactors in France are an average of 37 years old and have been plagued in recent years by corrosion problems that have forced some plants in the aging fleet to either go offline completely or face pricey, yearslong fixes.
France needs a “rebirth” of its nuclear industry, Macron said.
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“The time of nuclear renaissance has come,” he added.
