Macron announces relaunch of nuclear reactors to counter energy crisis

• French President Emmanuel Macron announces the relaunch of nuclear reactors

• France relies on nuclear power for nearly 72% of its electricity needs

In a bid to reduce France’s dependence on foreign sources to meet its energy requirements, the country would build nuclear reactors, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

“To guarantee France’s energy independence and achieve our objectives, in particular, carbon neutrality in 2050, we will for the first time in decades relaunch the construction of nuclear reactors in our country,” Macron said in an address to the nation.

In October Macron had already announced that France would spend one billion euros by 2030 in “disruptive innovation” to produce atomic power, notably by designing compact nuclear reactors known as “small modular reactors” (SMRs) with improved nuclear waste management.

Macron had asked French electricity giant EDF to study the feasibility of more next-generation EPR reactors.

After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, Germany accelerated its national exit scheme for reactors. Contrary to Germany, France is still relying heavily on nuclear power for nearly 72% of its electricity needs. 

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Initially, the government wanted to reduce this to 50% by 2030 or 2035 by developing more renewable energy sources.

Reuters reported that Macron gave no details, but his government is expected to announce the construction of up to six new pressurized-water reactors within the coming weeks.

Greenpeace criticized Tuesday's announcement, saying the plan to build new reactors was "disconnected from reality," pointing to the problems with the Flamanville project, which has suffered a decade of delays and huge cost overruns.

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With inputs from Reuters