nuclear-news

Investigation: France’s future nuclear reactors could cost three times more than expected.

February 10, 2026  –Antoine de Ravignan

While the new multi-year energy program favors nuclear power, our investigation reveals that the final bill for the EPR2 reactor program could reach nearly 250 billion euros.

“EDF presents its provisional estimate for the EPR2 program at 72.8 billion euros,” read a press release from the group on December 18 .

The final cost estimate for the construction of the first series of six French 
-made nuclear reactors at the Penly (Seine-Maritime), Gravelines (Nord), and Bugey (Ain) sites, of the EPR2 type (approximately 1,650 megawatts of power), is expected this spring. EDF and its shareholder, the French State, hope for a final investment decision by the end of the year.

But four years after Emmanuel Macron 
announced this program , its cost remains completely unclear. And far from dispelling this uncertainty, EDF’s communication strategy is creating a triple smokescreen. Is this meant to conceal the true final bill?…………………………….. [subscribers only] https://www.alternatives-economiques.fr/nucleaire-enquete-sur-le-vrai-cout-des-futurs-epr/00117632

February 17, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France