Nuclear: revival of nuclear power rejected in committee at the Assembly following a confusion

Nothing went as planned. During the committee review of a bill setting France's energy targets on Tuesday evening, June 3, at the National Assembly, MPs voted against an article providing for a massive revival of nuclear power. It was the adoption, amidst some confusion, of a Socialist amendment that led to this unexpected rejection.

The article in question proposed maintaining the existing nuclear fleet and aiming, by 2050, for 27 gigawatts of new installed nuclear electricity production capacity. This would represent a massive boost to nuclear power in France.

The initial version of the Gremillet bill, adopted in mid-October in the Senate and which will be debated from June 16 in the Chamber, also set intermediate objectives by 2026 and 2030. These provided for the construction of at least 10 gigawatts of new installed nuclear capacity, or 6 new EPR2s, by 2026. But also, the additional construction of at least 13 gigawatts of new installed nuclear capacity, or 8 new EPR2s and a small modular reactor, by 2030.

But an amendment by MP Marie-Noëlle Battistel, adopted by the Economic Affairs Committee on Tuesday, removed these interim targets. The Socialist representative clearly made a mistake when drafting her amendment, arguing during the debates for the removal of another measure. The rapporteur for the text, Macronist MP and former minister Antoine Armand, then pointed out her error and urged her to withdraw her amendment, but she ultimately decided to maintain it. It was therefore adopted, removing the recovery targets for the next five years.

Unlike the environmentalists or the "insoumis", fiercely opposed to nuclear power, the socialists had defended during the discussions several amendments dedicating a "reasoned" revival of the sector, which was justified, according to them, due to the delay in the development of renewable energies.

But none of these amendments were adopted or supported by the rapporteur. "You rejected the interim amendments we proposed. We are not in favour of these objectives and therefore, in line with this, we have deleted them," Socialist MP Karim Benbrahim told the rapporteur.

The adoption of ^Ms Battistel's amendment "shows that the Socialist Party is taking a big step backward and returning to its anti-nuclear ideology," Mr Armand told Agence France-Presse after the vote.

When it came time to vote on Article 3 as a whole, which only provided for a revival of nuclear power by 2050, the committee preferred to reject it. The elected members of the National Rally, fervent supporters of nuclear power, who had even proposed new capacity of at least 70 gigawatts by 2050, preferred to vote against it.