This is caused by the (overly) stringent regulations asked by the French authorities, and the loss of skill around building modern nuclear reactors. For instanc

This is caused by the (overly) stringent regulations asked by the French authorities, and the loss of skill around building modern nuclear reactors. For instance, the EPR can withstand an airliner crash. Besides, the EPR is very powerful and can produce clean, constant and pilotable electricity at the largest scale for a very low footprint. No other tech currently matches nuclear, especially for uses that require high and predictable loads, such as AI or smelting.