Summary

France’s Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor, its most powerful at 1,600 MW, was connected to the grid on December 21 after 17 years of construction plagued by delays and budget overruns.

The European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), designed to boost nuclear energy post-Chernobyl, is 12 years behind schedule and cost €13.2 billion, quadruple initial estimates.

President Macron hailed the launch as a key step for low-carbon energy and energy security.

Nuclear power, which supplies 60% of France’s electricity, is central to Macron’s plan for a “nuclear renaissance.”

  • etuomaala@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 hours ago

    Seems like a waste investing so much in the U-235 cycle. Aren’t the thorium and U-238 cycles better? Like, more compact footprint, simpler design, more scalable, doesn’t need to be located near a large body of water etc.

    • barsoap@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      9 hours ago

      France doesn’t care about fuel cycles which don’t produce plutonium.

      • etuomaala@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        9 hours ago

        The U-235 fuel cycle produces way more plutionium than the U-238 cycle, though.

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          edit-2
          9 hours ago

          I know just about noting about nuclear fuel cycles, but yes, more plutonium sounds exactly like what the French want. They have an arsenal to feed.

          • gaael@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            8 hours ago

            The military nuclear is the main reason behind our civilian nuclear infrastructure, which was planned during the cold war. It looks like once per century the military can have an unintended positive effect, yay.

          • raoul@lemmy.sdf.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            8 hours ago

            France stopped production of military fuel 30 years ago.

            The current goal is about recycling the existing nuclear waste, to reduce the need for long term storage and natural uranium.