France does not have the financial means to replace its old nuclear reactor fleet according to a surprising new governmental report. This is the top headline on the frontpage of Le Monde today.
The new 400-page report by the French Court des Comptes (court of auditors) has a lot of interesting figures on the costs of decommissioning of nuclear plants that are coming to their end of life by 2022 and the costs of building new-generation nuclear plants.
For more French media coverage, see Le Nouvel Observateur, Le Monde (reaction by Greenpeace) and Libération. The New York Times has good coverage in English.
After Fukushima, the nuclear debate in France (which gets more than 70% of its electricity from nuclear) has really taken off. This report will surely intensify the debate.
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