France will soon be commissioning a new nuclear power plant for the first time in over two decades.
The state-owned energy company EDF announced on Wednesday evening that the nuclear supervisory authority has approved the final preparatory steps for the start of the new nuclear reactor in Flamanville on the English Channel.
The loading of the power plant with nuclear fuel is now expected to begin in the coming weeks. Connection of the pressurized water reactor (EPR) to the national power grid is planned for the summer.
Construction of the controversial reactor began in 2007 and it was completed massively over-budget - instead of the originally planned €3.3 billion ($3.6 billion) it is now expected to cost more than €12 billion.
Its commissioning will now take place 12 years later than had been originally planned. Most recently, leaking weld seams in the steel shell led to delays.
Unlike its neighbour Germany, France continues to rely on the expansion of nuclear power for its energy supply and the achievement of climate protection targets.
France's oldest nuclear power station in Fessenheim in Alsace was shut down in 2020. However, the construction of 14 or possibly even more new plants is being considered. In addition, the operating life of 32 of the 56 existing facilities is to be extended from 40 to 50 years if safety permits.
France is still the second largest producer of nuclear power in the world behind the United States. At the same time, France also wants to expand renewable energies, particularly offshore wind.