Macron eyes 14 new nuclear reactors
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The apparently one-sided nature of Macron’s statement questions the reasons behind constraining Iran’s civil nuclear activities.
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French President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron claimed, Thursday, that he wanted up to 14 new reactors to power the country's transition away from fossil fuels.
Acknowledging that France says there is no ‘credible civilian need’ for enriching uranium, Macron added, "We are going towards an electrification of all our tasks, our way of manufacturing, of moving around."
In a speech at a turbine plant in eastern France, just two months ahead of presidential elections, Macron stressed that "what we have to build today is the renaissance of the French nuclear industry because it's the right moment, because it's the right thing for our nation because everything is in place."
Opponents of nuclear power, who worry about its safety and highly toxic radioactive waste, immediately bashed Macron's announcements.
"The EPRs he's promising are at best for 2040-2045," Greens presidential candidate Yannick Jadot said during a trip to southern France on Thursday, meaning France would be condemned to a "century of nuclear power."
The outcome of Macron's announcements will be determined by the results of the presidential elections on April 10 and 24.
With the exception of hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon and Greens candidate Jadot, most presidential candidates have pledged to continue investing in the industry.
Read more: Race to cut carbon emissions splits US states on nuclear
French-German standoff
Macron argued that nuclear energy was necessary to assist advanced economies in transitioning to a low-carbon future because renewables were not yet a reliable energy source capable of producing the amount of electricity required.
"Some nations made radical choices to turn their backs on nuclear," Macron said, referring to the Fukushima accident. "France did not make this choice. We resisted. But we did not invest because we had doubts."
Following the Fukushima disaster, Germany decided to phase out the nuclear industry by the end of 2022, but the decision has been criticized for increasing Berlin's reliance on carbon-emitting gas and rising power prices.
Calling French nuclear regulators "unequaled" in their strictness, Macron termed the decision to build new nuclear power plants a "choice of progress, a choice of confidence in science and technology."
He also stated that he would seek to extend the lives of all existing French nuclear plants where it was safe to do so and that one billion euros would be made available for the development of innovative new small reactors.
