The government defends a “Marshall skills plan” for trades involved in the construction of nuclear reactors

In a huge hangar of the Union des Forgerons - a century-old company that manufactures custom parts - blocks of metal, copper or steel are heated to 1.000 degrees.

Giant pliers grab them and forge them under a press with the dexterity and precision of human fingers. "The blacksmith makes his own tools and works as a couple with the so-called 'striker'. Being a blacksmith is a real team work and meticulousness", underlines to AFP Jérémy Sibillotte, who carried out his studies in forging and business manager within the Union des Forgerons.

In this factory in Méréville, an hour's drive from Paris, parts are custom-designed for companies working in aerospace, defence, aeronautics or... the nuclear industry.

An industrial sector that the government wishes to revive: "We need to recruit and train massively", or "create 10.000 new jobs per year" to reach "100.000 new jobs in 2030", declared the Minister of Energy Transition Agnès Pannier -Runacher, on the move on the site.

Blacksmiths, boilermakers, technicians... are essential trades for manufacturing nuclear reactors but "too often overlooked" added the minister.

"We know the difficulties of work but in terms of remuneration, the salaries are higher than in other sectors" continued Agnès Pannier-Runacher who underlined the "nobility of the profession (of blacksmith)".

According to the government, it is necessary "to make it known that nuclear power is a tool like any other to allow the decarbonization of energy". The goal he has set himself: completely decarbonize energy by 2050 "thanks to renewables and nuclear".

To achieve this, a report by a commission of inquiry calls for a relaunch of nuclear power which, according to the report, must pass, among other things, through competence: "We have forgotten to be proud of blacksmiths, welders, ... It is up to us to shed light on the strength of these professions in attracting young men and women,” said majority rapporteur Antoine Armand.

He submitted this report, with an assumed pro-nuclear bias, to the Minister at the end of the visit to the factory.