During his visit to the Framatome nuclear plant in Creusot in the east of France on Tuesday, Macron gave his support to the nuclear sector, saying that it must remain the "heart" of the country’s energy production plans in the coming decades.
He announced that the new generation of aircraft carrier, powered by nuclear energy would replace the Charles de Gaulle from 2036.
The new model will weigh 75,000 tons and measure 300 metres, compared to 42,000 tons for the Charles de Gaulle, which is 261 metres long. With a crew of 2,000 marines, it will be able to carry 30 new generation Scaf combat fighter jets, a bigger model which will eventually replace the Rafale jets.
À quoi sert un porte-avions ? C’est un bâtiment de combat, un symbole de puissance, le témoignage de notre capacité d’action. C’est la voix de la France sur toutes les eaux du globe. pic.twitter.com/P3jbbqXiqL
— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) December 8, 2020
According to the Defence Minister, Florence Parly, it will be built by Naval Group and the Chantiers de l'Atlantique at the Saint-Nazaire port and come into service around 2036.
"What is an aircraft carrier for," wrote French Defence Minister Florence Parly in her Twitter post on Tuesday.
"It's a combat building, a symbol of power, a testament to our capacity for action. It's the voice of France on all waters of the globe."
Development and construction are likely to cost over five billion euros. Around 900 million euros have been earmarked for technical studies ahead of construction starting in 2025.
The craft would be more costly to build than a diesel-run ship, but more efficient in the long term, the government said. The downside is having to demobilize the ship for two years of maintenance every ten years.
The two on-board nuclear boiler rooms, designed by TechnicAtome, are more compact than today’s systems, which require refueling every ten days. The ship will thus have more autonomy, and more space in the hold for carrying other equipment such as arms and drones.
Effective deterrence, know-how
For the French government, the question of nuclear energy in the future of the military is one which goes beyond energy costs, say government ministers in charge of the project. It’s about keeping up a high level of competence, and an effective measure of deterrence.
The announcement comes just a few days before the 5th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Climate agreement (COP 21), amid criticism that France has slipped behind in its goals on climate change.
Although France has promised to progressively reduce its dependence on nuclear energy for its civilian electricity supply – from 75 percent today -- to 50 percent around 2035, Macron says a mix of sources is necessary to make a "green" energy transition.
"I’ve never been a fan of all nuclear," Macron said, but "giving up entirely on nuclear too quickly would mean opening coal and gas plants, like other countries have done, or importing coal-based energy."
Environmental concerns
"We mustn’t give up on waste management and safety, but nuclear is a non carbon energy, which must stay central to our energy mix," he told the press, adding that he was aware France was lagging on its environment targets. "I’m also asking for a high level of renewable energies".
His comments were criticised by Greenpeace which pointed to a form of sabotage, especially when the propositions put forward by the Citizens’ Climate convention are currently being debated.
Non, le nucléaire ne pourra pas sauver le climat, quoiqu'en dise @EmmanuelMacron. Vous feriez mieux d'agir concrètement pour le climat, par exemple en rendant la rénovation globale des logements obligatoire dans le projet de loi #ConventionCitoyenne ! pic.twitter.com/2EEZJg4AXF
— Greenpeace France (@greenpeacefr) December 8, 2020
"No, nuclear is not the way to go to save the planet, despite what Emmanuel Macron," Greenpeace France wrote on its Twitter feed. "You'd be better off acting responsibly concretely in favour of the climate, for example by making housing renovations mandatory, as mentioned in the Citizens Climate convention."
"By tying France’s climate future to that of the nuclear industry, Macron is locking the country into a very unambitious strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," the group said,in a statement, adding that the nuclear is too slow and too expensive to be an urgent solution to climate change.
Many of France’s nuclear stations are around 40 years old, begging the question of how to maintain or do away with the existing reactors, which have been pointed to as dangerous by environmental and civic groups.
Macron confirmed that France would make a decision in 2023 as to the construction of six new generation EPR plants, proposed by state power operator EDF.
Delays, rising cost
"The studies on these new constructions is absolutely necessary and I hope that all the elements will be available before the end of my term," Macron said.
The greenlight would only be given after assessment of the Flamanville site in Normandy.
Launched in 2004 at an estimated cost of around 3 billion euros, Flamanville was due to open in 2012. Nearly ten years on, the cost of delays in construction and technical issues have pushed the cost up to an estimate 12 billion euros.
It has also been the object of security concern due to leaked classified documents brought to the attention of Greenpeace this week.
Although the pro-nuclear message was well received by people like the director of EDF, Jean-Bernard Levy, and trade unions at the Framatome site, it was welcomed cautiously by others.
President of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Marie-Guite Dufay warned that while the government support was acknowledged, Macron mustn’t forget the challenges facing the nuclear sector in terms of future employment.
She pointed to the fact that 240 jobs were under threat at the Belfort plant, run by operator General Electric, a strategic site in France in terms of future development.
