Nuclear Power costs to skyrocket in France

In Article titled “Frankreichs Atomstrom wird teuer” published 6/13/2014 Greenpeace released notes:

“In the next week, the French Environment Minister Ségolène of Royal will present the Bill for the new French energy policy. With him the promised energy transition of the Socialist President hollande is to be implemented at last. He promised a new energy mix well two years ago.”

The article warns us that for the French:

“Cheaper nuclear power – that was the past”, says Cyrille Cormier, Greenpeace France responsible for energy issues.

“Our study reveals: nuclear power will be extremely expensive in the future.” Soon the production cost per megawatt-hour electricity from nuclear power plants will be at 133 euros where they are currently around 60 euros. Three years ago the production costs still mounted to 50 euros per megawatt-hour. The production cost of green power are however, today, only 60 Euro for the most powerful wind turbines and they will continue to fall in the coming years.”

Nuclear Regulatory Commission decides about life extension

The rising cost of electricity production from nuclear power result from excessive ageing of indigenous nuclear Facilities. Between 2017 and 2027 more than two-thirds of the plants will reach to the end of the planned lifespan of 40 years. The operator, EDF, is seeking renewal, for another twenty years.

They go on to report that the State nuclear regulator ASN has to decide. Its President Pierre Franck Chevet made clear at the beginning of the year:

“Old plants operating time should be extended, we look to safety standards of the new, third generation of reactor to align them.”

They then note that:

“The EDF estimates the retrofit costs at € 1 billion per reactor. “We must expect real costs will be four times that price”, however, says the independent energy expert Yves Marignac, who prepared a report on the costs of a possible extension of the nuclear Park last February for Greenpeace. His results were incorporated in the current study by the environmental organization as well as the work of a renowned economic experts. He calculated precise figures power for the first time as to the real production cost per megawatt-hour.

Cost explosion predicted

State Court of Auditors announced:

“Production costs at nuclear Plants are running out of control, the State Court of Auditors announced end of may: they soared by 21 percent between 2010 and 2013. Further cost explosions are foreseeable. EDF has some hopes in the third generation of nuclear power stations, the EPR. But according to Greenpeace, even its electricity production will be at 95 euros per megawatt hour.”

And a parliamentary inquiry reports:

France nuclear power loses heavily in competitiveness, says the report of the parliamentary inquiry that was just published.

They report that for six months, members of Parliament of different persuasions have worked on this support for future national energy policy. Denis Beauclerk pin, Green Member and Rapporteur of the enquete Commission, expressly to Environment Minister of Royal turned last Tuesday in the National Assembly:

“Until 2033 investment costs of EUR 110 billion will go to the current nuclear Plant.” The President of the nuclear Group AREVA admits that the viability of the nuclear industry is crumbling.

Need for renewable energy

“It is ecologically and economically necessary to scale back the share of nuclear power and for energy saving and the development of renewable energy sources”

summed up the conviction of the enquete Commission Denis Beauclerk PIN. An appeal showed visual effect when Environment Minister Ségolène of Royal:

“It is actually very important to compare the costs of different power sources to the Government and to Parliament. “Because ultimately they are all French, who pay our energy choice through their utility bills.”

Draft translation done by bing. Grammar cleaned up for readability. You can read it and listen to it in German here:

http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/greenpeace-studie-frankreichs-atomstrom-wird-teuer.697.de.html?dram:article_id=289060 Greenpeace-Studie – Frankreichs Atomstrom wird teuer www.deutschlandfunk.de In der nächsten Woche wird die französische Umweltministerin Ségolène Royal den …See More