What France tells us about the future of nuclear energy
Germany’s energy crisis, caused by its dependence on Russian gas, has been the subject of much commentary recently, with some blaming the decision to close its nuclear power plants. Indeed, there has even been a carefully engineered movement in Germany to supposedly forget past opposition and embrace atomic energy.
However, very few people are seeing the bigger picture, which includes France, a country committed to nuclear power, and that is in a much worse situation. French electricity is significantly costlier to produce than Germany’s, and many of its nuclear power plants are in bad shape. At the moment, France is the country in the European Union most at risk of reaching exorbitant electricity prices and blackouts next winter.
The price of a megawatt hour in France is now ten times more expensive than the average between 2010 and 2020, around €500. In Germany, where price increases have also been felt, it is also high, but ranges between €350 and €370. In France, the nuclear power plants that usually provide 70% of its energy are now providing only around 59%, because only 26 of the 57 reactors are in operation, forcing the country to resort to combined cycle power plants, wind power and imports.
Electricity prices in France are regulated for consumers, but French companies have to pay them in…
