Ongoing reflection on EDF’s structure could lead to the creation of a public holding company at the head of two major subsidiaries, with the group’s nuclear fleet on one side and the sale of its production on the other a group of activities that are most concerned by the energy transition. EDF could be reorganized into three blocks, with a central public holding company controlling two major subsidiaries, one dedicated to nuclear power and the other to energy transition. The aim would be to secure the financing and operation of the group’s power stations by protecting them from the vagaries of the market, which would amount to making nuclear power an “essential asset” for France, in particular to justify the operation. to the European Commission.
L’usine Nouvelle 28th Nov 2018 read more »
President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that France would shut down 14 of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors currently in operation by 2035, of which between four and six will be closed by 2030. The total includes the previously announced shutdown of France’s two oldest reactors in Fessenheim, eastern France, which Macron said was now set for summer 2020. He also announced that France would close its remaining four coal-fired power plants by 2022 as part of the country’s anti-pollution efforts.
The Local 27th Nov 2018 read more »
If you think Britain has a tough job replacing its ageing fleet of nuclear reactors, spare a thought for France. The world champion of atomic energy is approaching a cliff edge in its electricity production. The bulk of its fleet of 58 nuclear reactors was built in a remarkable 15-year burst of construction in the 1980s and 1990s. France has not brought on stream a new reactor for 20 years. Even if the lives of its plants were extended from 40 to 60 years, in itself an expensive proposition, 75 per cent of its nuclear generating capacity would be gone by 2050. The French government’s 10-year energy plan unveiled on Tuesday by President Emmanuel Macron was supposed to set a clear framework allowing EDF, the monopoly nuclear operator, to modernise its fleet and for renewables to take a bigger slice of electricity production. In the end, Mr Macron deferred many of the hard choices – but it was still a good result for EDF. One of the big choices was how quickly to scale back nuclear, which accounted for 71 per cent of electricity generation last year. Environmentalists want faster decommissioning of older plants to encourage renewables. Some experts say plants should be taken offline sooner rather than later, to avoid leaving EDF with the monumental task of decommissioning scores of them at the same time.
FT 28th Nov 2018 read more »
The French government has informed Japan that it plans to freeze a next generation fast-breeder nuclear reactor project, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday. Japan, which has been cooperating with Paris on the fast-breeder development in France, has invested about 20 billion yen ($176.27 million) in the project, the report added. The French government will halt research into the Astrid (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration) project in 2019, with no plans to allocate a budget from 2020 onwards, the report said, without citing sources.
Reuters 29th Nov 2018 read more »