nuclear-news

French minister turns up heat on EDF over shift to renewables

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Mr Hulot last week said France would aim to reduce the share of nuclear power from 75 to 50 per cent of total energy consumption by 2035, from 2025 previously. He said the decision was “pragmatic” because it took into account France’s CO2 emission reduction targets and the nuclear industry’s 200,000 jobs.

But Mr Hulot said on Monday that he now expected the utility to lay out concrete steps to cut nuclear production in absolute terms. EDF has spearheaded France’s postwar bet on nuclear power, which has provided cheap, low-carbon power for decades.

But the company is struggling under heavy debt and cost overruns on nuclear reactor projects in France, Finland and the UK. “EDF can revitalise itself through renewables . . . Its interest is not to bury its head in the sand like an ostrich, but to be like a giraffe, to look far,” Mr Hulot said. “Tomorrow the norm must no longer be nuclear power but renewable energy. It’s a complete overhaul of our model.”

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Full article here https://www.ft.com/content/132f512a-c89f-11e7-ab18-7a9fb7d6163e

November 14, 2017 - Posted by arclight2011part2 | Uncategorized