| France launches the third-generation nuclear reactor |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Thursday, 14 June 2007 | |
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Currently, the French electrical utility EDF operates 58 reactors, putting the country in second place behind the United States, and ahead of Japan and Russia. The EPR is not a major technological breakthrough, but more the combination of improvements tested on the most recent second-generation reactors in France and Germany. It is more powerful, consumes less fuel and will operate until the end of the 21st century. France first decided to develop nuclear power in the 1950s, prompting a Franco-US consortium to start Framatome. In 1970 EDF started building six 900MW reactors for its power stations at Fessenheim and Bugey, awarding the contract to Framatome with its pressurized water reactors fuelled with enriched uranium. France now comes first, by a long way, for nuclear power's share of total energy output. EDFs account for 79% of French consumption, compared with a global average of 16%. Nuclear power only accounts for 7% of primary energy consumption worldwide far behind oil (41%), gas and coal (21% each) and renewable energy in all its forms (10%). After the first oil crisis in 1973, the government of France embarked on a more ambitious programme. Oil-fuelled power stations still provided 66% of electricity, but France was determined to reduce its dependence on imported energy, 75%, compared with 50% now. With increasing oil prices around the world, nuclear power was competitive. The first generation, with its natural-uranium graphite-gas technology, was developed in the 1950s-60s. Second generation reactors followed in the 1970s-90s. Research into the third generation started in 1992, leading to the EPR. Areva is building two of these reactors, one in Finland, the other in Normandy. Fourth-generation reactors will come on line in about 2040. The scientists plan to use a fast-neutron technology that consumes fissile uranium, which only represents 0.7% of natural uranium, and non-fissile uranium, converting the latter into fissile plutonium. On the basis of existing uranium reserves, French stations might operate for several thousand years, compared with 250 years forecast for existing technology. Share & Bookmark             |
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