French President Emmanuel Macron Wants to Build Up to 14 New Nuclear Power Plants by 2050

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that he wants to build six new nuclear power plants by 2050. He is also considering building eight more. The first reactor should be commissioned by 2035.

In addition, Macron also wants to build small modular reactors and “innovative” power stations that would produce less nuclear waste. The French president said that the goal is to produce an additional 25 gigawatts by 2050 to meet the increased demand for electricity.

In addition, Macron also wants to extend the lifespan of “all nuclear reactors it is possible for”, if possible, to more than fifty years. Macron is thus returning to his goal from 2018 when he announced that he wanted to close a dozen reactors.

“I have made two clear decisions,” said the French president. “Extend the life of all nuclear reactors that it is possible to do without compromising on safety. And also that no nuclear reactor in production will be closed in the future, except for safety reasons.” Macron added that he asked operator EDF to “explore the conditions for extending the lifespan beyond 50 years.”

In addition, the French president also announced that he wants to build fifty offshore wind farms by 2050. He is aiming for a production of 40 gigawatts. He also wants to double the capacity of wind energy on land.

To double renewable energy production by 2030, Macron also called solar capacity “nearly tenfold” to produce more than 100 gigawatts.