The Senate pleads for the effective construction of at least 14 EPRs and underlines the urgency of acting

Launched on February 9, this mission had already published a progress report, from February 24, on the risk of blackout, alerting very early on to the repercussions of the Russian war in Ukraine and the phenomenon of stress corrosion.

At the end of six months of work, which enabled them to listen to 60 personalities, on the occasion of 30 hearings, and to go to the site of the EPR in Flamanville, on July 11, the rapporteurs formulated 10 proposals to seriously relaunch nuclear energy and promote low-carbon hydrogen, including the effective construction of at least 14 EPRs.

For Daniel Gremillet: “Nuclear energy is crucial to achieve the decarbonization objectives set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. It is all the more so since the Adjustment Package 55 and the RePowerEU Plan oblige us to accelerate, to reduce by 55% our emissions and getting out of Russian hydrocarbons. The President of the Republic's Belfort speech is neither sufficiently ambitious nor sufficiently followed up. We therefore recommend quickly implementing RTE's “N03” scenario, which makes it possible to maintain at least 50% nuclear energy by 2050. For us, this is a minimum! In a changing world, this scenario must be based on a robust, modern nuclear fleet, agile in the face of climatic, technological and geopolitical changes. »

Convinced of the interest of maintaining a predominantly nuclear mix by 2050, while strengthening renewable energies and energy sobriety, the commission, based on the "N03" scenario of the Electricity transmission network (RTE) , considers imperative the construction of 14 EPR and 4 GW of SMR, the small modular reactors. It calls for this objective to be enshrined in legislation in the five-year energy law of 2023 and accompanied by a funding and skills plan.

Moreover, it warns that, even realized, this scenario could not be sufficient, if the existing reactors could not be extended beyond 60 years and if the electricity needs reached higher levels, in particular due to reindustrialization. The commission stresses that, in these cases, for RTE, the equivalent of 3 and 9 additional EPRs would be needed. The possible construction of these other reactors deserves to be studied between now and the five-year law.

For Jean-Pierre Moga: “It's a whole industry that needs to be revived! The revival of nuclear energy would not be possible without robust funding, particularly for EDF, and appropriate training, on which the Government must make proposals. It must be accompanied by attention to safety and security, to respond to new challenges: resilience to climate change and cyber-resilience. It must also be accompanied by a research and innovation effort, to successfully close the fuel cycle. The recycling of fuels, reactors and fuels of the future and the storage of waste must be promoted. »

For Jean-Jacques Michau: “Because it only emits 6 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour, nuclear energy is an essential decarbonization lever, complementary to renewable energies. The IPCC includes it among its mitigation options, while the IEA is considering doubling it. This is why we must make decisions today to meet the needs of tomorrow. In 2040, almost all of our current power plants will be at the end of their life! Today is the time to act. »

For Sophie Primas: “We have weakened the sector, for 10 years, at an essential moment, by registering since the law of “Energy Transition” a drop in the share of nuclear. The current majority has wasted time. We owe the truth to the French An energy policy based on three pillars, nuclear power, renewable energy and sobriety presupposes, in all cases, a rapid and massive revival of the construction of nuclear power stations. It will make it possible to meet a doubling of electricity needs, which will be the mechanical consequence of decarbonization! ".