"It is disturbing that the roadmap sent to the CEO of EDF only studies one scenario"

In a letter sent to the President of Electricite de France (EDF), on September 12, that The world was able to consult, the Minister of the ecological and solidarity transition, Elisabeth Borne, and her colleague of the economy and finances, Bruno Le Maire, give a precise roadmap to Jean-Bernard Levy for the construction of six EPR reactors during the next fifteen years.

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Officially, however, nothing is stopped: France has not decided to build – or not – new reactors EPR, and the debate is still open. Emmanuel Macron simply asked EDF to present, in mid-2021, a complete file, to be able to make a decision on this thorny subject. Opponents of nuclear denounce the undemocratic nature of this letter, which suggests that decisions are already made, and raise the essential question of financing these new reactors.

Nabil Wakim, journalist for Energy at World answered questions from users.

Stan: Do we know why the number of six EPR reactors was chosen?

Nabil Wakim: It is likely that the government is working on this option because it is the one defended by the nuclear industry, with the argument that in order to lower costs, it is better to launch a global program, rather than a single reactor. This would put the entire subcontracting chain to music, mobilize the industry. But it is at the same time a huge challenge: how to envisage six EPRs built in fifteen years, while the first one in France is still not operational?

Cd433: how can one envisage the deployment of a technical solution which saves the delays and the additional costs in Flamanville and in Finland?

N / A. W.: The Flamanville (Manche) shipyard is an unparalleled fiasco for EDF: started in 2007, the EPR will not be connected to the network until 2023 and will cost more than 12.4 billion euros. But the nuclear industry argues that it is a seed and costs will go down as and when. And points out that two EPRs are already operating in China, in Taishan. But it is true that all the projects in progress or completed (France, United Kingdom, Finland, China) have all experienced delays and significant additional costs.

Edouard: what is the difference between an EPR and a nuclear power station?

N / A. W.: An EPR is a third generation nuclear reactor. It works on the same principle as the previous reactors, currently operating in France, but it is more powerful and has more important safety features.

Dandrieu: without wishing to ignore the hidden intentions of the government, is it not normal in a decision-making process, that we build a scenario (the 3 pairs of double reactors), that we push to the end to see its viability. On the other hand, to make a decision without having evaluated a scenario, would it be professional?

N / A. W.: You are right: it is normal to work on scenarios. But it is disturbing to note that the roadmap sent to EDF's CEO only examines one scenario. However, the President of the Republic said that in mid-2021 France should decide whether it builds – or not – other reactors. The option not to build one would involve changing the development path of renewable energies, reducing electricity consumption, and so on. In other words: a roadmap would also be needed to study this option.

apH: how can we explain that the government does not assume and take "on the sly" a strategic decision that is logical?

N / A. W.: The government letter we are publishing is not yet a decision, it is a road map to a decision in mid-2021. But it is true that this letter is very precise and contradicts the public statements of the ministers or Emmanuel Macron. Perhaps they are afraid to open a new front while the executive is not lacking, especially on environmental issues? Moreover, the majority LRM in the National Assembly is not united on the subject.

Lome: if these new RPAs are well under construction, would we keep the same ratio of nuclear in the production of electricity or would nuclear increase? Clearly, how many closures of existing plants would that be? And do we know which plants could be affected?

N / A. W.: In the law on energy and climate, voted in September, France has raised to 2035 the goal of achieving 50% nuclear and 50% renewable in electricity production. This should lead to closing 14 nuclear reactors by then. But then, the current reactors, which are old and have been built over a period of ten years, may have to close quickly. The new EPR would come after this period to complete the French mix and keep it at 50%. But (and this is a big but) it depends on very many parameters: the consumption of electricity at that time, the development of renewable energies, the extension or not the old reactors, etc.

Fabrice: the current plants will have to be closed one day and replaced by something. What alternative solutions exist in case these EPRs are not built? To produce equivalent energy, it must represent a lot of wind turbines and solar panels. Are there any figures on that?

N / A. W.: This is exactly the right question for those who wish not to renew the nuclear fleet. Several scenarios exist (the Ademe, NegaWatt, in particular have realized). They are based primarily on a significant reduction in energy consumption and the development of renewable energies and networks.

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It should also be noted that technological developments in the storage of electricity in the next thirty years can also change the game to better integrate the variability of renewable energies.

Louis: are we aware of the sites on which EDF plans to place these new EPRs?

N / A. W. These sites are not known and the formal decision to build these EPR is not yet made. But the energy specialist has been preparing the ground for several years, buying up land around certain nuclear sites. One thing is certain: if new reactors exist, they will be built on existing sites (this is also the case of Flamanville). Some local elected officials have already called for the construction of an EPR on sites in their region, as Xavier Bertrand (Gravelines, in the North), for example.

Hubert: will the construction and operation of these plants go back to EDF or will foreign companies be involved?

N / A. W.: Today in France, only Electricite de France has the right to operate nuclear power plants. No other operator (even French) can do it. The government also has a reorganization plan for EDF that would lead to 100% nationalization of nuclear activities. The assumption that other companies that EDF operate reactors in France is today very unlikely.

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Paul: how to explain the discontinuation of programs like Astrid that would more or less close the cycle of nuclear waste and ensure a fuel supply for a much longer period while the government announces wanting to build six EPRs who do not solve these problems?

N / A. W.: The government and the CEA have decided – without making this decision public – to interrupt the research on Astrid, a fourth-generation reactor, considering that this type of fast neutron reactor was not necessary in the immediate future, taking into account strong uranium resources.

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But it is true that focusing on RPAs without thinking about the next generation leaves open the question of waste, which is nowadays reused only in a minute proportion.

Thoreau: we talk a lot about the production (the EPR, the renewable energies) but little about the electricity network. What network transformations are needed to reduce the share of nuclear power. Are they engaged and where are we?

N / A. W.: The transformation of the electricity grid is often one of the blind spots in the energy transition debate. However, France is gradually moving from a country where there were about fifty large production sites, to a network with hundreds of thousands of small producers. Not to mention the very likely arrival of millions of electric vehicles, which will need both the network to recharge but can also serve as storage. The transport network RTE estimated that this transformation could cost, for the only transmission network, around 33 billion euros over fifteen years.

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