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French nuclear company dreams of empire, as nuclear industry slumps in France

numerous problems…….. from industrial action to the company’s growing debt and a fall in nuclear output and capacity usage in France…..

EDF Looks To Build Nuclear Empire Outside U.S.  WSJ.com By GéRALDINE AMIEL, NOVEMBER 21, 2010,

PARIS—The future of Électricité de France SA lies primarily in nuclear energy, but probably not in the U.S.—at least according to Henri Proglio, the French power group’s chairman and chief executive……. Continue reading →

November 22, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

French nuclear firm stuck, unable to sell nuclear reactors in USA

EDF Puts U.S. Nuclear Expansion Plans on Hold,  BloombergBy Tara Patel – Nov 16, 2010 Electricite de France the biggest operator of nuclear reactors, put on hold a plan to develop atomic plants in the U.S…. EDF is reviewing its business in the U.S. and supply contracts for developing a reactor, Thomas Piquemal, chief financial officer, said today on a conference call. “When we have a better visibility on the regulatory environment and price evolution, we will be in a better position to see whether we go ahead with U.S. projects.”

EDF agreed last month to pay about $249 million partly to buy out Constellation Energy Group Inc. from a venture to develop EPR reactors in the U.S., including one in Maryland. Slumping power prices has cut the value of three U.S. atomic plants that the two utilities own together and forecasts of sustained low prices prompted Constellation to withdraw from talks on a government loan guarantee for the Maryland reactor…..

November 17, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

AREVA illegally storing radioactive nuclear waste

These containers are highly radioactive, and the rail terminal has not been classified as a basic nuclear installation – a classification necessary for any building storing nuclear waste. Greenpeace has therefore filed a complaint against French nuclear giant Areva for use of an undeclared basic nuclear installation, by storing nuclear waste in a place not designed for this purpose.

Complaint against AREVA for illegal storage of nuclear waste Greenpeace International,  by JulietteH – November 4, 2010, On Tuesday, at 3pm, Greenpeace conducted a citizen inspection at the entrance of the railway terminal in the small town of Valognes, France. Activists carried out radiation measurements by monitoring the passage of trucks that have been carrying containers of highly radioactive nuclear waste for a week. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by | France, wastes | , , , | Leave a comment

Sarkozy selling France’s nuclear rechnology to China

a slew of business deals including a $3.5 billion contract with energy firm Areva

France, China to form nuclear power partnership | Reuters   -Areva signs three deals with China, eyes EPR sale   China signs $20 bln of business contracts in France PARIS, Nov 4 (Reuters) – France and China have agreed to form a strategic partnership in civilian nuclear power that ranges from building reactors in common to exploiting uranium mines, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by | China, France, politics international | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Britain and France get together on nuclear weapons

Britain, France sign military co-operation pact – The Globe and Mail, 2 Nov 10, In French military circles they are known as the “crown jewels,” the fleet of Mirage fighter jets kept in the sky and devoted to delivering a nuclear strike. In Britain, the four Scottish-based submarines armed with 200 Trident nuclear warheads are considered untouchable……
The agreement was nonetheless signed on Tuesday by President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron, both of whom are struggling with deep budget cuts and sagging economies. It will place British and French special forces together in a joint force of 10,000 troops and permit the sharing of aircraft carriers, unmanned drone aircraft and other military hardware. Most controversially, it will combine the testing and oversight of the two countries’ nuclear arsenals at a joint facility near Dijon, France…… Britain, France sign military co-operation pact – The Globe and Mail

November 3, 2010 Posted by | France, UK, weapons and war | , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s EDF faced with ‘sluggish’ nuclear revival in USA

before it can proceed with building and operating new plants, unlikely before 2012, the French state-controlled utility will have to line up a new partner with the endurance necessary for an increasingly sluggish U.S. nuclear renaissance…..

EDF’s Expensive U.S. Divorce – WSJ.co, 27 Oct 10, By MATTHEW CURTIN Paying to get out of a marriage that isn’t working isn’t unusual. But in the U.S. nuclear industry, where foreign operators require local partners to build and operate new plants, going it alone isn’t a long-term option. Continue reading →

October 29, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Even top nuclear officials now doubt the future of nuclear energy

Says Claude Mandil, head of atomic energy for the French ministry of industry, “If France is unable to solve this [nuclear waste] issue, I do not see how we can continue the nuclear program.”…The bottom line: Even some of its biggest users are now doubting the wisdom of continuing dependence on nuclear energy, while claims that the atom is one answer to global warming don’t hold water.

Thomas D. Elias: Pro-nuke arguments deeply flawed Colusa Sun-Herald, 22 Oct 10, “………despite its dependence on the atom, France has no more solved the problem of nuclear waste disposal than we have. Continue reading →

October 22, 2010 Posted by | France, politics | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strikes, maintenance – closures of France’s nuclear plants

France buys electricity as its nuclear plants are hit by strike Vancouver Sun, By Henry Samuel, The Daily Telegraph October 21, 2010 France was forced to start importing electricity Thursday as unions announced that strikes would spread into the next two weeks.The unions said production had been cut at four nuclear power plants because of a 10-day rolling strike, while at least 12 of France’s 58 reactors are closed for maintenance……………………France buys electricity as its nuclear plants are hit by strike

October 22, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s EDF takes share loss, with cancellation of USA project

EDF shares fall on nuclear news The Daily Record, , October 11, 2010By Associated Press PARIS — Shares in Electricite de France SA slid Monday after the French state-owned utility’s U.S. partner, Constellation Energy Group, pulled out of a project to build the first of a new generation of nuclear power plants in Maryland.

The announcement dealt a serious setback to EDF’s ambitions to lead a nuclear renaissance in the United States. The company is the world’s largest electric power producer.EDF shares slipped as much as 1.5 percent in early trading and midafternoon were down 1.1 percent at $43.43 on the Paris stock exchange — and were the biggest loser on the benchmark CAC-40 index.
An EDF spokeswoman said the future of the multibillion-dollar Calvert Cliffs 3 plant project is unclear after Baltimore-based Constellation said it would drop out over risks linked to the high cost of a $7.5 billion loan guarantee… » EDF shares fall on nuclear news

October 12, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , | Leave a comment

Sarkozy’s nuclear sales promotion to Africa – and everybody else

Senegal working with France on nuclear plant, IC Publications, 9 March 2010, Senegal is preparing to build a nuclear power plant with French help, its energy minister said Tuesday at a conference hosted by France to promote civilian use of atomic energy.The project could make Senegal Africa’s second nuclear energy producing country after South Africa, which has two French-designed reactors at Koeberg, near Cape Town…..President Nicolas Sarkozy opened the 65-nation conference in Paris on Monday by offering French know-how to build nuclear reactors, which he said would be a safe and efficient source of clean energy all over the world.IC Publications

October 7, 2010 Posted by | France, spinbuster | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s socialised nuclear power a handicap, not a miracle

Widely Misunderstood in U.S., the French “Nuclear Miracle” is Plagued by Fast-Rising Reactor Costs and “Crowding Out” of Renewables, Vermont Law School -September 9, 2010 C ooper Analysis Shows French Approach Touted by Some For U.S. Reactor Build-Up Is a Failed Model; U.S. Wind & Solar Industries Would Suffer Under Embrace of “French Nuclear Socialism.”SOUTH ROYALTON, VT.  – The so-called “French nuclear miracle” embraced by some U.S. policymakers as a model for this nation is a misconception masking a pattern of fast-rising nuclear reactor construction costs and a “crowding out” of investments in renewable energy, such as wind, solar and hydro-electric power, according to a new study by Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment….

Vermont Law School – VLS Study: Widely Misunderstood in U.S., the French “Nuclear Miracle” is Plagued by Fast-Rising Reactor Costs and “Crowding Out” of Renewables

September 28, 2010 Posted by | France, spinbuster | , , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s heavily subsidised nuclear industry – a costly warning to USA

The French nuclear program has been a state-owned monopoly from the outset, heavily subsidized by the government.  It could not survive in a free market.  By copying the French model – both in its energy choices and its willingness to use public funds to subsidize an industry that has never been self-sustaining – the U.S. is heading down a dangerous path of nuclear socialism.

France’s Nuclear “Miracle” is More Fantasy that Fact,  The Hill, By Mark Cooper – 09/23/10 Among backers of nuclear power development in the U.S., France has long been held out as the model to emulate. Now, as pressure builds on policy makers in Washington to set a new domestic energy course, the French experience once again is being heralded as proof that nuclearpower is the way to go.
Trouble is, France’s nuclear “miracle” is more fantasy than fact.  Continue reading →

September 24, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, France | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s nuclear socialism – a nightmare, not a miracle

Unlike computers, solar panels, wind turbines and most other high tech projects, nuclear power plants and projects don’t go down in price over time. Instead, the costs escalate, and that’s a recipe for a disaster,

Time to End Nuclear Socialism, Says New Study, Greentech Media, 10 Sept 10, A nuclear plant will cost $7,000 to $10,000 per kilowatt, says Mark Cooper of the University of Vermont. That’s more than wind, solar, storage and other renewables—and the price tag will continue to climb. It shouldn’t be called the French Nuclear Miracle, says Mark Cooper. It’s more like a recurring nightmare. Continue reading →

September 10, 2010 Posted by | France, politics | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Election battle looms over Merkel’s plan to extend nuclear power in Germany

Opposition parties and environmentalists have vowed to fight the planned extension in the lifetime of Germany’s 17 nuclear reactors….the opposition has vowed to challenge this in Germany’s highest court…..Even if the extension becomes law, the opposition Social Democrats (SPD), co-authors with the Greens of 2000’s decision to exit nuclear power, said they will reverse Merkel’s changes if they return to power.

Merkel sets stage for nuclear power battle, Google hosted news, By Simon Sturdee (AFP) – 7 Sept 10, BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday hailed government proposals to postpone Germany’s exit from nuclear power as a “revolution,” setting up what one opposition MP called a “fiery autumn” of protests……. Continue reading →

September 8, 2010 Posted by | France, politics | , , | Leave a comment

First step for France to turn from nuclear to renewable energy

this may help chart a new developmental roadmap for the French energy industry, which has until now focused primarily on nuclear energy.

French government to tap potential for renewable energy, istockanalyst.com, 6 Sept 10, France has unveiled a new renewable energy investment program which will see its government provide E1.35 billion to support the development of cutting-edge clean energy technologies. Continue reading →

September 7, 2010 Posted by | France, renewable | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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