France plans to increase nuclear power production, which already provides about two-thirds of the country's electricity supply, by 2030, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said today.
The new energy supply strategy foresees the construction of six new nuclear power plants by 2038 and the possibility of building eight more.
To keep all 57 existing nuclear power plants in operation, the plan envisages extending their service lives to 50 or 60 years. This means that plans to close older plants, foreseen in the previous multi-year plan, will not be implemented.
France is the world's second-largest nuclear producer after the US and exports electricity generated by nuclear power plants to several neighboring countries.
Under the new strategy, the expansion of renewable energies will remain the second pillar of energy supply, but in some cases at a slower pace than previously anticipated.
This applies to offshore wind farms, due to a lack of bidders for some planned projects, as well as to onshore wind farms, where resistance is often encountered in France, which now have reduced targets.
The new version of France's energy strategy has been delayed for years due to a political disagreement over its direction. Conservatives and the right want to focus on nuclear power, while the left and environmentalists want greater investment in renewable energy.
