EDF, doubts about building new NPPs in France

The French Court of Auditors has expressed significant reservations regarding the capacity of EDF, the French state energy company, to construct the new generation of French nuclear reactors that have been requested by President Macron. The Court has recommended that the decision be subjected to careful consideration, citing numerous challenges associated with France’s next-generation nuclear reactor project. These challenges include financial constraints, supply chain issues, and the project’s timeframe. The French utility company EDF, the world’s leading nuclear power producer, has planned to build six new European Pressurized Reactors (EPR) to fulfil a 2022 pledge by French President Emmanuel Macron that advanced new nuclear reactors would help France meet its climate goals. However, an analysis by the French Court of Auditors has revealed that the project is expected to incur excess costs, experience delays, and be subject to greater uncertainty than initially anticipated when the French Ministry of Energy Transition presented its Energy Sovereignty Bill at the beginning of 2024. Notably, EDF has increased its cost estimate for the six new reactors by 30%, bringing it to $69 billion (€67.4 billion).