French government lined up in support of nuclear industry

SOT – Bruno Le Maire, Minister for the Economy, Finance and Recovery, talking about nuclear industry, his role in the fight against climate change and the relationship with Europe on this issue, in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, on April 15, 2021: “The third point is innovation, an industrial sector that succeeds is an industrial sector that innovates. We decided with the President of the Republic to put half a billion euros in the recovery plan to invest in the nuclear industry, half of which will go directly to research on new processes for the nuclear industry. I am thinking, for example, of small and medium power reactors, the famous SMRs. We want to invest in this sector. We want to remain at the forefront of the great nations that have mastered nuclear technology. I would like to say a final word on this subject. In any case, the three major challenges are financing of SMEs, training and qualification and investment in innovation. France will fight for nuclear power to be considered as a decarbonised energy in Europe. I want there to be no doubt about that. We will fight this battle with the utmost determination. We need nuclear power to make a success of the ecological transition. We need nuclear power to benefit from low-cost decarbonised electricity and we therefore want nuclear power to be included in the European taxonomy, i.e. the list of technologies that can continue to be financed and considered as green technologies that will help combat global warming. This is a real political battle. You spoke earlier of a national political battle. It is a European political battle. We are fighting it with the President of the Republic with the greatest determination and I would like all our European partners to be aware of France's determination to see nuclear energy recognised as a decarbonised energy that is essential to the success of the fight against global warming”.