It will be an event. After twelve years of delays and a bill that has quadrupled the initial budget, at 13.2 billion euros, the Flamanville EPR nuclear reactor will inject electricity into the French network for the first time. Summer 2024 », indicated EDF this Wednesday and ” In the middle of 2024 » So far as expected. This slight change in date “ attachment » comes in the wake of Tuesday’s announcement by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN, a nuclear watchdog) that fuel loading had been postponed to mid-April at best, instead of March 31 as initially planned by the electricians group.
“In the coming days, ASN will start consultation on the draft commissioning decision, that is, we will submit it to public comments for at least 15 days (…) or even 3 weeks, and finally ASN will make a commissioning decision,” confirming the information of Les Ecos A security official explained to AFP.
This consultation at the end of which the ASN will issue its commissioning opinion, whether or not it takes into account the comments of the public, is the epilogue of the river construction site, 17 years after the start of the construction of the Normandy EPR, marked by numerous. Cost and schedule slippage.
“After loading the reactor with nuclear fuel, start-up operations will continue, including all safety-related systems checks, tests, and equipment qualification conducted during the rise in reactor temperature and pressure. Boiler, then reactor power during rise. 25% power On, the production unit will be connected to the national electricity network,” detailed EDF in December 2022.
For Industry Minister Roland Lescure, we are “not Not in two weeks “
As a reminder, due to renewed interest in nuclear, EDF intends to deploy 3rd generation reactors (EPRs) at “scale” in France and Europe. Industrial “, now with the objective ” Two per year », compared to one or two per decade at present. The challenge is ambitious given the recurring costs and delays embodied by the Flamenville EPR. The industrial challenge is formidable for the group, which has been criticized for extraordinary debt – 54.4 billion euros – and setbacks to its EPR projects. Especially since EDF must also respond to the restart of the nuclear program in France with up to 18 EPR2 reactors – a modified version of EPR – and its two English programs, Hinkley Point, which could be delayed for up to six years, and Sizewell. In France, the government is undertaking a program for six new EPR reactors, estimated at 51.7 billion euros.
funds
The announcement comes at a time when, on the issue of new nuclear power plants, Eric Lombard, director general of the Caisse des Dépôts (CDC), indicated that it would be “logical” to finance new nuclear power plants with the savings that the French are investing in their livres. do “Because it is an important element of the decarbonization of our economy,” he added during his passenger during Ecorama’s broadcast on the Borsorama site.
“If we finance, for example, a third of the nuclear program, it will represent a few billion euros per year (…), it is something that can be completely absorbed by the savings of the French,” Eric Lombard continued. , recalling that his “first priority” remained social housing.
59.5% of the deposits in Livrets A and Livrets de développement durable et solidaire (LDDS) are managed by the Caisse des Dépôts, and are mainly intended to finance social housing. The remaining 40.5% is managed by banks and should be mainly dedicated to bank loans for SMEs. These two savings accounts attracted nearly 40 billion euros in deposits last year and had a total balance of 571.5 billion at the end of February. The Director General also referred to the role of “Casey” in arms financing, through his role as a shareholder ” Large companies that have arms dimension in their activity “
” We probably need to go further, especially in financing the industrial fabric of SMEs and medium-sized companies.
», he added, referring to the role of banks, institutional investors or even insurance companies, not the role of regulated savings in this sector.Leverett A’s direction towards the defense industry, desired by the Senate, is also not in Bercy’s favour, but on 23 February Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire launched the idea of creating, among other things, a responsible European savings product. , for ” Fund our conservation efforts “
Eric Lombard also affirmed that the industry ” Completely compatible » With environmental, social or governance (ESG) criteria, “ Because we clearly see that national defense is also the defense of our democracy and our ecological path “