PARIS (Reuters) - The French government will decide on whether or not to build a new generation of EPR reactors between 2021 and 2025, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported on Friday, citing a working document.
France's nuclear industry could be asked to draw an "industrial plan" by mid-2021 that would guarantee future EPR reactors are able to produce energy at a reasonable price, estimated between 60 and 70 euros per megawatt, AFP reported.
The French government will present its 2018-28 energy strategy next month instead of at the end of this month, a government source told Reuters earlier this week.
The long-awaited plan (PPE) will outline how and by when France will reduce the share of nuclear energy in electricity generation, currently at about 75 percent, and is a crucial factor in the investment planning of state-owned utility EDF, which operates France's 58 nuclear reactors.
Asked about the AFP story in an interview with France 2 television on Friday, Environment and Energy Minister Francois de Rugy declined to confirm the information.
De Rugy added to France 2: "I confirm that a working document is made to work on it and weigh different scenarios."
(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain and Caroline Pailliez; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
