Six new EDF reactors could receive state funding

In February 2022, French President Macron announced a nuclear revival plan, proposing six new EPR2 reactors and the potential for eight more. The reactors will be built at Penly, Gravelines and Bugey, with construction starting in 2027. Initially estimated at €51.7 billion, the cost was later revised to €67.4 billion. The EPR2 is a pressurised water reactor designed to meet Generation III safety standards, incorporating lessons learned from previous reactors. In March 2023, the Nuclear Policy Council (CPN) outlined a financial framework that included a government-backed loan to state-owned utility EDF to cover at least half of the construction costs of six EPR2 reactors and a Contract for Difference (CfD) guaranteeing a maximum price of €100 per MWh. The CPN set deadlines for EDF to finalise cost estimates and stressed the need to secure uranium supplies for future reactors and to continue investing in fuel processing facilities in Oran. The CPN also called for continued support for small modular reactors and collaboration on fast neutron technologies, with the aim of launching projects by the early 2030s. Established by President Sarkozy in 2008, the CPN shapes French nuclear energy policy, focusing on safety, environmental impact and international cooperation.