Nuclear: another effort to save the climate and defend the interests of the French (Tribune) COMMENTS

Tribune signed Xavier Moreno, president of Cérémé (The Ecological Realities and Energy Mix Study Circle)

After deciding 18 months ago to reduce the share of nuclear power in the electricity mix from 70 to 50% in favor of EnRi, the government seems to be coming to its senses in terms of energy policy.

Mobilization for the inclusion of nuclear power in the European taxonomy, announcement of investments in the nuclear sector in the "France 2030" plan, probable launch of six new generation EPRs called EPR2... nuclear power is gradually regaining favor with the public authorities and the opinion, who become aware of its considerable strengths.

Towards carbon neutrality

When the illusion dissipates that EnRi could secure the supply of French electricity, when we discover the watermark of the RTE report that all wind or solar production should be doubled by gas power plants, as in Germany, nuclear power appears to be our only option to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.

However, RTE stopped on the way, refusing to quantify the scenario of a real ambitious relaunch of nuclear power, which would consist of replacing, over the next 30 years, all the reactors in operation by an equal number of EPR 2 reactors .

Providing 50% more power than their predecessors, making it possible to meet growing electricity needs to replace fossil fuels, this new nuclear fleet would protect France from electricity shortages.

Towards energy sovereignty?

Above all, it would minimize CO2 emissions, cost infinitely less than the Gas + EnRi combination, guarantee our energy sovereignty and constitute a formidable lever for the re-industrialization of France.

This is the ambition of the “N4” alternative scenario proposed by Cérémé, which aims to reach 100 GW of nuclear power installed in 2050/2060 and to increase its share in the electricity mix to 80%, completely dispensing with EnRi. and the gas-fired power stations they require.