French Economy and Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, said the role of nuclear power in France is “non-negotiable” and anyone thinking they can reduce it would be “grossly mistaken”.
His comments at the annual conference of the French Electricity Union came amid disagreement between France and Germany over the part nuclear energy should play in Europe.
France is determined it will not give up what it sees as competitive advantages linked to its nuclear-power fleet as part of an ongoing reform of the European electricity market.
The French are pushing to give nuclear a leading role in European plans to produce more green technology and energy in Europe, much to the dismay of Germany, which has chosen to do away with nuclear energy altogether and closed its last plants earlier this year.
Le Maire said: “French nuclear power is not negotiable and will never be negotiable. We will have to deal with it and we are convinced that it is not only in the interest of France, but also in the interest of the European continent.
“Anyone who thinks they can push back on the French on nuclear power in any way is grossly mistaken … Everyone must respect each nation’s sovereign choices in terms of energy mix. Germany has indicated it will respect French energy choices,” he claimed, adding: “This is good news. We have always respected German choices. And it would not occur to me … to criticise the energy choices of this or that nation.”
However, his comments came as tensions between France and Germany over nuclear power have complicated the energy reform project launched in recent months against the backdrop of the European power crisis linked to the war in Ukraine.
Earlier, Stefan Wenzel, state secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, had criticised France at the Electricity Union meeting, saying it was “unacceptable” that nuclear energy was defined as renewable energy.
Last month, agreement on the EU’s revised renewable energy directive faced a delay due to France’s request for additional assurances to restrict the proportion of renewable hydrogen production for nations already generating substantial quantities of green hydrogen from nuclear energy.
France relies heavily on its 56 nuclear reactors, which supply about 70 per cent of its energy needs. In May, the French parliament also passed a law allowing an acceleration of the building of new nuclear power plants.
Construction of the plants will begin in four years and the aim is to accelerate France’s energy transition. However, some observers doubt new facilities can be installed fast enough to meet the rising demand for electricity.
