| Chirac announces France will build a prototype Generation IV nuclear plant by 2020 | | Print | |
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French president Jacques Chirac has pledged that a prototype fourth generation nuclear reactor unit will enter service in France in 2020. Mr Chirac's announcement, which came during an economic speech to French industry leaders in Paris, gave no details about the specific design or technology that might be deployed, but he said: "It is necessary to preserve our lead in nuclear." Mr Chirac referred to France's advances in the field of nuclear energy and in particular to plans announced in October 2005 to build a demonstration unit of the European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) at Flamanville west of Cherbourg. In a reference to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, which France will host at Cadarache, Mr Chirac said "the domestication" of the sun's energy is on the horizon for the end of the century. The president said it was now necessary for France to agree on a solution for the final disposal of radioactive waste. A public-consultation process on options for the management of France's high-level radioactive waste and long lived intermediate-level waste is scheduled to end this month. Mr Chirac said parliament would decide on a solution that would then be enacted into law before the end of summer 2006. In a further "confidence building" measure, Mr Chirac said he had asked ministers to create an independent authority responsible for the "control of nuclear safety, radioprotection and information". Mr Chirac said it was also necessary "to build an ambitious energy policy at a European level". He said France would present a memorandum on energy policy to the next meeting of the European Council, (the meeting of EU Heads of State and Government). France is a member of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), which was established in January 2000 to lay the groundwork for a fourth generation nuclear reactors. The partnership is focussing its effort on 6 technologies and France will decide which one it will build by 2010. Other GIF members are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Euratom, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK and US. In this context the President confirmed that the new prototype reactor will be build in association with industrial or international partners who would like to be involved. While France has not yet decided which of the six Gen IV reactor types it will build, it is focussing on the very high temperature reactor, the gas cooled fast reactor and the sodium cooled fast reactor. The French Atomic Energy Commission has stated that of these the fast reactors would give provide for better use of resources and points out that France already has considerable experience with sodium cooled reactors although the gas reactors have the advantage of being able to produce hydrogen. |
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