France makes nuclear offer to Poland

14 October 2021

France's EDF has made an offer to the Polish government to build as many as six EPR units. A project of that size would decarbonise 40% of the country's electricity and avoid up to 55 million tons of CO2 per year, EDF said. The "non-binding preliminary offer" represents a range of options for Poland. It details the engineering, procurement and construction that would be needed for four to six EPR units, at either two or three sites. The EPR units would produce 1650 MWe each.

A cutaway of an EPR reactor (Image: EDF Energy)

EDF estimates that "about 25,000 local jobs" could be created at a construction site with two EPRs, as well as "tens of thousands" of indirect jobs.

"The offer aims at meeting the objectives of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme adopted by the Polish government in October 2020," said EDF, adding: "It aims at setting the principles for a Polish-French strategic partnership framework in support of Poland’s ambitious energy transition plan, aligned with the European carbon neutrality target."

Poland plans to build large nuclear reactors in the north of the country and has been developing environmental studies while engaging with communities near Żarnowiec and Lubiatowo-Kopalino. The state-owned project company handling the work is called Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe, having changed its name from PGE EJ 1 in June this year.

EDF said it has been "committed to partner the Polish nuclear power programme since its inception, with the full support of the French government." Both the countries are among the 10 EU nations of the Nuclear Alliance which has demanded nuclear power be included in the EU's Taxonomy list of sustainable investment options.

The US government is also keen to support Poland's nuclear power plans, with Westinghouse promoting its AP1000 design. Westinghouse recently upped its involvement in the country by opening a regional services centre in Krakow.

In parallel, Poland has a thriving small reactor scene, with energy intensive industrial companies Synthos, Ciech, KGHM, Unimot and PKN Orlen working towards upgrading to new small reactors. Synthos' subsidiary Synthos Green Energy is collaborating with ZE Pak to potentially replace coal units at the Pątnów power plant with nuclear units.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Macron: Nuclear 'absolutely key' to France's future

13 October 2021

Nuclear power was at the heart of French President Emmanuel Macron's France 2030 plan for re-industrialisation, announced yesterday. The plan includes a programme to demonstrate small reactor technology and mass production of hydrogen using nuclear electricity in this decade.

Emmanuel Macron sets out his France 2030 vision at the Elysee Palace, yesterday (Image: Elysee)

With a presidential election six months away, Macron presented France 2030 as his near term "response to the great challenges of our time" and a way to build a "21st Century humanism". 

Macron's first conviction, he said in his speech at the Elysee Palace, was that innovation and industrialisation are inextricably linked, and it had been a mistake for France to think it could be innovative while letting its heavier industries decline. "Our country is going to reindustrialise itself through technological start-ups and what is called 'deep tech'," said Macron. "And our large industrial groups will survive, transform and win the game thanks to the disruptive innovation of startups that they will have incubated or that they will have bought or with which they will have partnerships."

Accordingly, 'Reinventing Nuclear Power' was placed as the first objective in Macron's plan, with EUR1 billion (USD1.2 billion) allocated to demonstrate small nuclear reactor technology. He said this programme would be "starting very quickly with very clear first projects," adding that, "In fact, we must launch several projects from different technological families."

Macron said that as a core production technology, nuclear merited first position in the plan. Continuing to develop nuclear power "is absolutely key because we know that we will continue to need this technology," he said.

On large reactors, Macron told the crowd he would be able to make his decision on the potential construction of up to six large reactors "in coming weeks", anticipating the completion of a pivotal study by Prime Minister Jean Castex and the transmission network operator RTE.

Macron's second objective also had a close relation to the country's nuclear sector. Hydrogen, he said, "is really an energy sector where we can do it because we have assets. We have a primary asset, it is once again nuclear power."

The possibility of using clean electricity from France's fleet of 56 nuclear reactors is "a huge change" that "will allow us to be a leader" in the emerging hydrogen sector, Macron said. He foresees hydrogen replacing liquid fuels for road transport. In the hydrogen sector, "We have very good research, we have very good players: Air Liquide and a few other manufacturers. In addition, we have a network of start-ups, equipment manufacturers, entrepreneurs, innovators who are ready to go and who are organised."

A serious commitment to hydrogen is needed, Macron said, to avoid repeating the country's mistake in renewables, which he said was to invest too little. "We must develop our industrial offer in hydrogen and therefore invest massively in this sector. This means that by 2030, France must be able to count on its soil at least two giga-factories of electrolysers in order to massively produce hydrogen and all the technologies needed for its use."

"It is this triptych," Macron said, "nuclear, hydrogen and renewable energies" and their breakthrough innovations "that will allow us to produce energy and electricity differently and to start contributing to this world where we produce better, and more carbon-free."

"As you can see, we have real levers. We have real historical advantages, but we have to accept the investments that I have just mentioned in order to achieve these objectives," said Macron.

As well as EUR8 billion across these energy projects, Macron signalled France would "invest massively" to help existing heavy industry decarbonise. "It will be public and private investment," he said, "but without public investment it is impossible, it is unsustainable." In total the France 2030 plan amounts to EUR30 billion of investment.

Macron also said he would use the upcoming French presidency of the European Union to introduce a mechanism to penalise imports from countries where industry operated under less stringent decarbonisation policies.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News