France has today unveiled plans to accelerate the deployment of new nuclear reactors.
A few months ago, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to construct as many as 14 new-generation reactors and a fleet of smaller nuclear plans to supercharge the country’s energy security amid the war in Ukraine.
In an interview with Europe 1 earlier today, French Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said: “I will present a bill that will speed up the construction of a new nuclear reactor at an existing nuclear power plant, where there are already nuclear reactors in operation.”
Ms Pannier-Runacher explained a few more nuclear reactors could also be given the go-ahead soon.
The minister said the construction of new reactors could start before 2027 and added: “This is a reasonable measure to gain time and guarantee the energy independence of our country.”
A few weeks ago, just hours before leaving Downing Street, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed £700 million of extra funding to the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
He also said the new Prime Minister needed to “go nuclear and go large”.
