France: New government, new nuclear policy?

Before they won the elections, French socialists and Greens reached an agreement on nuclear and other issues after more than six months of discussions. It is an impressive list on a broad range of social and economic items, but it will be known only after the summer whether the government really does what it promised.

(474.4697) WISE AmsterdamAll anti-nuclear activists remember the broken 1981 promises of Mitterrand to stop construction of the Superphenix fast breeder and not to allow the expansion of the La Hague reprocessing plant.

The Green-Socialist new nuclear position of March 1997 includes:

• a moratorium on new nuclear reactors and on MOX fuel production until 2010;
• closure of the Superphenix;
• reversible underground disposal of nuclear waste;
• emphasis on research and developing of alternatives to underground disposal;
• strong support for energy conservation and renewable energy;
• reviewing of reprocessing at La Hague and more surveillance; and
• no new reprocessing contracts.

In response to questions from Friends of the Earth, the Parti Socialist (PS) leader Jospin did not mention the MOX fabrication moratorium. But he did confirm the proposed closure of the Superphenix breeder (but not when) and to impose a 10-year moratorium on construction of new reactors. Jospin also said the PS would reorient energy policy towards sustainable development by encouraging conservation and renewables. Whether the other items are realized will be a matter for post-election negotiation. The Communist Party also takes part in the new PS government. The communists have tempered their previous strong pro-nuclear policy, but are not as anti-nuclear as the Greens or the PS. So it is all too probable that the outcome of the nuclear negotiations between the new government partners is not the same as the PS-Greens nuclear agreement.

We will follow the developments in the French nuclear policy closely and critically, and hope for the best. The definitive closure of the Superphenix is pretty sure.

The anti-nuclear actions in Nantes on May 31 and June 1 against the plans of EdF to build new reactors in the Loire delta may be more succesfull than was expected. After the action, attended by about 15,000 persons, EdF decided to postpone buying land for the construction site. It is well known that EdF would not need new power plants before 2010. So it is easy for the new coalition to keep the electoral promise of a 10-year moratorium on new nuclear reactors.

Sources:

• Nucleonics Week, 29 May 1997
• Nuclear Fuel, 2 June 1997
• Vert Contact, 1 March 1997; Text of the PS-Green nuclear agreement

Contact: WISE Paris

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