Delays and uncertainty hamper France’s plan to build 6 new nuclear reactors

Installation of the first of two reactor pressure vessels at Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset, England. (Image: Aran Jeffries/EDF Energy)

That’s according to a new report by the country’s Cour des comptes (Court of Auditors), which highlighted “persistent risks” around the programme.

France is due to start work on the reactors in 2027 and has already identified three sites for their construction: Penly in Normandy, Gravelines in Hauts-de-France, and Bugey in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The original estimated cost was €51.7 billion (US$52.7 billion), although a 2023 estimate revised that figure upwards to €67.4 billion as a result of higher.

The Court of Auditors’ report warned that there is still no final estimate for the cost of the reactors, nor a financing plan, while EDF “remains heavily indebted”.

It also highlighted concerns around a delay in design work for the plants.

“These delays and uncertainties, which also concern the number of power plants to be built, imperfectly meet the expectations of the industry players and reduce the visibility they need to engage in industrial projects of this magnitude.”

The report also referenced problems EDF is facing on its delayed and over-budget project to build the Hinkley Point C power station in the UK and uncertainty around anther project, Sizewell C, which the Financial Times reported this week could cost as much as £40 billion to build (US$48.7 billion).

The Court’s report said, “On the Hinkley Point construction site, EDF is facing a sharp increase in costs accompanied by a further two-year delay, as well as a heavy additional financing constraint caused by the withdrawal of the Chinese co-shareholder. As regards the new EPR project at Sizewell, delays are already accumulating.”

It recommended that the final investment decision on Sizewell should not be approved “until a significant reduction in EDF’s financial exposure to the Hinkley Point project has been achieved.”

It also recommended that any new international nuclear projects “generate quantified gains” and do not delay the timetable for the EPR2 programme in France.

“The additional construction costs, delays and uncertainties are numerous and require responses from EDF, the public authorities and the industry to ensure the success of the EPR2 programme,” it concluded.