Risks seen to French power system if no new nuclear units built, says SFEN

摘要

France’s nuclear energy society SFEN highlighted in a technical note June 16 the risks to the country’s electricity system if at least part of the current nuclear fleet is not replaced with new nuclear units. Before making a decision on possible nuclear power expansion, the French government has asked EDF to present by mid-2021 a plan for the construction of up to six new EPR2 reactors. “Without having organized, in time, the renewal of a stable nuclear base, which is both low-carbon and controllable, there would be a great risk of realizing, too late, that it is necessary to urgently rebuild gas-fired thermal capacities, which emit CO2, to meet electricity demand,” Valerie Faudon, the president of SFEN, said in a June 16 statement accompanying the technical note. SFEN called for the decision on the construction of new reactors to be made as soon as the appraisal of EDF’s project by the government is completed. SFEN’s note was based on models of the French electrical system developed by consultant Compass Lexecon and considers various future generation scenarios. Two scenarios assessed by the consultants were based on the multi-year plan for the French power mix from 2019-23 and 2024-28, known as the PPF. That plan calls for the closure of up to 14.9 GW of nuclear capacity by 2035 and the closure of all nuclear units after 60 years of operation as part of a plan to reduce reliance on nuclear energy and encourage deployment of renewable sources. The country’s current nuclear fleet has a combined capacity of 62 GW.