The Court of Auditors warns this Thursday, November 18 on the “Uncertainties” weighing on the capacity to build a new nuclear fleet “Within a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost”, while the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron has just decided to launch a new EPR program.
The construction of new means of electricity production – whether nuclear or renewable – “Calls for now urgent decisions to guarantee our supply by the decade 2040”, underline the magistrates in a thematic note.
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This was already the conclusion of the recent report by the RTE network manager, while the French nuclear fleet is aging and electricity needs must increase in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Following this publication, Emmanuel Macron announced on November 9 the launch of a new nuclear program, while this theme has emerged in the public debate before the presidential election of 2022. France is building for the time being a single new generation EPR reactor, in Flamanville (Manche).
EDF will not be able to finance construction alone
Reminding “The drift of construction times” of the latter, the Court emphasizes “Uncertainty in terms of the ability to build a new fleet of reactors within a reasonable timeframe and cost”. EDF has made a proposal to the State to initially build six new EPR models (EPR2) for a construction cost estimated at 46 billion euros.
But the magistrates note that it would take much more (up to “25 to 30”) to maintain a 50% nuclear share in electricity production beyond 2050. This would require “An accelerated mobilization and recovery effort in our nuclear industry” and pose “The question of the number of available sites”.
How the nuclear lobby is trying to win the battle of ideas
They also note that EDF will not be able to finance new constructions on its own and that “Risk sharing with the State” will be necessary. But nuclear is not the only one to ask questions: “The challenges to be met appear to be just as important for new renewable energies”, raise the note. Even if there is no technological uncertainty on the wind or solar side, the latter face other challenges, particularly in terms of their storage or their implementation difficulties.
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“Let this debate take place in front of the French”
The Court concludes on the wish for a debate “On a better informed basis” while there is in particular “A significant risk for public finances”. “There is no simple decision, no low cost solution, no zero risk”, emphasize the authors.
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“That this debate takes place in front of the French seems quite natural to me. We have a nuclear fleet which for the most part was built in the years 1977 to 1987. And it will also be, for the most part, obsolete by 2050 ”, pointed out Pierre Moscovici, first president of the Court of Auditors, on Europe 1 this Thursday morning. “So we now have to make choices to ensure our independence and we know that we will build more electricity in the future than today, namely 35%, because it will replace fuel oil. […] Our scenario is that it takes between 25 and 30 reactors, but this number is a guess and there are other possible scenarios. “
