3 ms·

Maybe making a bunch of smaller ones is cheaper/faster/safer?

• maeln 5y ago
  Yes it's the plan. The idea is to use small and modular reactor. https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/pourquoi-les-mini-reacteurs-nucleaires-modulaires-ont-presque-tout-pour-plaire-a-emmanuel-macron.N1147887 https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/pourquoi-les-mini-re...
• emn13 5y ago
  From the article: "Macron’s proposed six new “mini-reactors” run on technology that is billed to be less powerful but also less complex to produce and run than conventional reactors. Industry analysts say they help to keep France’s industrial competitiveness given that prototypes are already being developed in China, Russia, the US and Japan."
• phtrivier 5y ago
  According to this [1], the strategy is twofold: * replace the oldest massive plants with EPRs (hoping that the construction of the next ones will be less chaotic than the first two in England and Northen France) to maintain domestic production capacity * build expertise on small modular reactors for exports and additional capacity where it make sense. And interesting challenge will be to make SMRs safe enough to sell them to "post-developing" countries without any experience of nuclear-monitoring. Also, the whole "nuclear is both a long term matter that requires multi-decade planning AND an electoral hot-button in France that is sure to split the country in two unreconcilable block every five years" thing. [1]: https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2021/10/07/nucleaire-les-mini-centrales-un-projet-d-exportation-pour-la-france_6097491_3244.html https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2021/10/07/nucleaire-...