The Macron revolution is reaching all sectors of France, even one as immovable as energy. The government announced by surprise a nuclear blackout, specifically the closure of 17 nuclear reactors by 2025.
The bombshell news was dropped during an interview with the press by the French Minister of Ecological Transition, Nicolas Hulot, who thus honored the original name of your department (before Environment and Energy) and his past as a convinced ecologist. "Maybe the shutdown will reach as many as 17 reactors," Hulot said.
Nuclear blackout
This partial blackout would have important repercussions in the rest of Europe, both in the supply and in the demand of energy.
It should be remembered that at the end of last year, the wholesale electricity market in Spain registered a sharp rise in prices (up to 60 euros MW / h compared to 16 euros on average), according to the government, in part it was the fault of the temporary closure of several nuclear plants in France. The situation worsened in January, when Spanish pool prices shot up 96% compared to January 2016.
In Berlin, the definitive closure of the French nuclear power plants will be received with great satisfaction because the German border populations have already expressed their concern about the aging of the French nuclear park.
The transition to new sources of energy would accompany the energy policy of the 2 EU engines, because Germany already closed eight reactors in 2011 (after the Fukushima tsunami) and decreed the closure of the remaining 17 in 2022.
France had also started a path of diversification of energy sources and during the previous five years, under the presidency of Hollande, it passed a law to reduce the consumption of nuclear energy from 75% to 50%.
The standard set the target on paper and set a deadline of up to 2025. But it was never specified how the new energy "basket" would be reached, if by slowing down the nuclear production, reducing or increasing the consumption of renewables.
But Hulot has put a figure for the first time on the impact that reducing the consumption of its energy will have on the nuclear park. “Everybody understands that to reach that goal it will be necessary to shut down a certain number of reactors”, The minister sentenced yesterday. And although he asked for time to draw up the final plan, he made it clear that he has already done the first numbers. "Let me plan things, but maybe the shutdown will reach up to 17 reactors," he said.
Hulot's words would mean the blackout of 30% of the 58 reactors that France has, of which it obtains a generation of 63 GWh per year.
It remains to be seen if Macron's minister manages to fulfill his objective in a country where the state-owned company EDF (which owns the nuclear power plants) is so powerful that it is described as the alternative energy ministry.
Hulot's appointment was one of Macron's riskiest gambles. The French president handed over the old Energy portfolio to one of the best known and belligerent ecologists in the country. Hulot, has already been courted by other governments, but had never agreed to enter any, since he had guarantees that he could carry out his agenda. With Macron, for now he does.
The new French revolution
Less CO2. The energy transition announced by the Macron government aims to achieve a level of zero CO2050 emissions by 2, a very ambitious goal and higher than the one agreed in the International Paris Agreement against climate change. Pact where "by surprise" is no longer the United States.
In addition, France wants to produce 32% of its energy with renewable energies by the year 2030, more than double that of today (15,2%).
According to Minister Hulot, "Fossil fuels are from the 5th and XNUMXth centuries." In its new work plan approved on July XNUMX. The plan includes banning the sale of cars that consume fossil fuels, such as gasoline or diesel in 2040. Furthermore, in that same year, it will no longer be possible to produce any type of hydrocarbon on French soil.