On Thursday, an international summit on nuclear energy will be held in Brussels, organized by Belgium and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Around fifty states have confirmed their participation, half will be represented by their head of state or government, the others by ministers. France will be represented there by Emmanuel Macron and his Minister for Industry and Energy Roland Lescure. A “high-level” meeting, according to the Élysée, which says a lot about the participants’ desire to revive the nuclear industry.
France will have the first European delegation and the second in the world, after the United States. Key companies in the sector, such as EDF or the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) will accompany the Head of State. Since the Belfort speech in February 2022, the President of the Republic has displayed his ambitions in civil nuclear power, with the desire to maintain national leadership both in traditional power plants and those of the future (small modular SMR/AMR reactors). ) and throughout the nuclear fuel value chain.
The position defended by the head of government is clear. It makes it one of the essential elements to achieve energy sovereignty. To compensate for the intermittency of renewable, wind and solar energies, stable and controllable energy is needed. Nuclear power is preferred to fossil gas to run power plants.
“The global revival of nuclear power is a key asset in our fight for the climate,” insists the Élysée, recalling that during COP 28 in Dubai, a tripling of installed nuclear capacities was mentioned, to respond to the challenges posed by the exit from fossil fuels. “Training cooperation” is essential. Discussions are also underway between several nuclear safety authorities, including La Française (ASN) in order to harmonize their requirements. This point is crucial to enable the development of SMR and AMR. In addition, these authorities could provide support to countries wishing to launch or relaunch nuclear programs but which do not have their own structures sufficiently robust to respond to these challenges.
The Élysée recognizes “that the subject remains divisive”. Hence the importance of constantly reaffirming the support of the countries concerned for nuclear power, in their energy policy. “Technological neutrality” to achieve carbon neutrality is elevated to the rank of dogma. It is inevitable so that atoms are, from a tax point of view, treated at the same level as renewables. It also underpins obtaining public funding. However, the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development or even the Asian Development Bank, to name only these establishments, are still very little, if at all, involved in this way.
However, this funding is essential to cope with the tens of billions that will have to be committed to relaunching the sector. In addition to the financing of the reactors, that of the fuel supply chain will be added. France may pride itself on “controlling the entire chain”, but it will nevertheless have to spend billions to adapt its industrial tools to the revival of the sector.
