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France: The Fos option will be “studied”, says EDF CEO

EDF CEO Luc Rémont announces that the possibility of setting up nuclear reactors in Marseille-Fos-sur-Mer will be studied, along with other sites not equipped with power plants. EDF's plans for the future of nuclear power in France include EPR2 and SMR reactors, with locations such as Penly, Gravelines, Bugey, and potentially Fos, under study.

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The possibility of building nuclear reactors in the Marseille-Fos-sur-Mer basin (Bouches-du-Rhône), mentioned by Emmanuel Macron, will be “studied”, as will other sites that are not yet home to a nuclear power plant, EDF CEO Luc Rémont said on Thursday.

EDF’s plan for the future of nuclear power in France: EPR2 and SMR reactors under study

At this stage, the French government plans to install the future EPR2 reactors in pairs within the perimeter of existing power plants: two at Penly (Seine-Maritime), then two at Gravelines (Nord) and two at Bugey (Ain). However, during a visit to Marseille at the end of June, the French President surprisingly raised the idea that Fos could also “accommodate” nuclear units.

“We will study [la question]. When the President of the Republic says that something needs to be studied, of course we’ll study it,” reacted EDF’s CEO on Thursday, when questioned by the press on the sidelines of the announcement of his group’s half-yearly results.

“I think it’s a good idea to look at sites other than the existing ones, (…) not necessarily for the very short term and, I would add, not necessarily for EPRs”, he added.

The government is planning to build six to 14 EPR2-type reactors, the first of which is scheduled for completion by 2035. It also supports the development of smaller reactors, known as SMRs (small modular reactors), currently under study in several countries around the world. Lastly, the choice of Bugey for the planned 5th and 6th EPR reactors was announced on July 19 at the end of a “nuclear policy council” held at the Élysée by the head of state.

“The Bugey site was more ready than the Tricastin site” (Drôme), which was also being considered, said the Minister’s office, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, referring to “a rational choice to keep to schedules as quickly as possible”.

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