nuclear-news

Huge expense to extend life of France’s nuclear reactors, but cheaper than new ones

France to extend life of nuclear reactors beyond 40 years, M & C, Feb 12, 2012, Paris – French President Nicolas Sarkozy has decided to extend the life of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors beyond 40 years, Industry Minister Eric Besson said Sunday. France’s nuclear reactors were built with a 40-year life span in mind, but the nuclear safety authority can decide, on a case-by-case basis, to extend the life of a reactor.
‘The decision has been taken,’ Besson said, while acknowledging that the ASN had the final say….

.. EDF says to extend the life of a reactor would cost between 680 million euros (896 million dollars) and 860 million euros, a fraction of the cost of building a new reactor.

France gets three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear plants. A number of European countries, including Germany, pulled the plug on nuclear power in the wake of last year’s nuclear disaster in Japan but Sarkozy remains a staunch champion of atomic energy..

…. The role of nuclear power in the energy mix is a subject of debate in this year’s
presidential campaign. Sarkozy’s main challenger, Socialist candidate Francois Hollande, has
pledged to reduce the share of nuclear in the energy mix to 50 per cent by 2025….
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/business/news/article_1690615.php/France-to-extend-life-of-nuclear-reactors-beyond-40-years

February 14, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France