A strategic contract for the French nuclear industry has been signed in Paris by all institutional and industrial actors in the sector under the egis of the Strategic Committee for the Nuclear Sector (CSFN – Le Comité Stratégique de la Filière Nucléaire), guarantor of its implementation. These included the Minister of Economy, Finance & Industrial & Digital Sovereignty, Eric Lombard; the Minister of Energy & Industry, Marc Ferracci; the heads of major industry groups (EDF, Orano, CEA, Framatome, ANDRA); trade union organisations; and professional organisations.
The contract was signed during a ceremony Paris on 10 June attended by 600 people from the French nuclear supply chain. It was signed by Minister of Energy and Industry Ferracci and Minister of Economy Eric Lombard, together with the heads of key industry players (including EDF, Orano, CEA, Framatome and ANDRA), as well as professional organisations within the nuclear sector.
CSFN noted that, since President Emmanuel Macron’s Belfort speech in 2022, announcing the relaunch of nuclear as one of the cornerstones of the French energy strategy, there has been “no common framework for coordination between the various stakeholders”. It added: “Today, the contract defines a common vision for 2028 and outlines the roadmap of the sector.”
In February 2022, Macron said the operation of all existing reactors should be extended without compromising safety and proposed the construction of six new EPR2 reactors, with an option for a further eight. The first three pairs are to be builtat the Penly, Gravelines and Bugey NPP sites, with construction expected to start in 2027.
The strategic concrete is a response to major industrial, energy and climate issues and aims to mobilise the nuclear sector around structural projects. CSFN said it is motivated by a threefold challenge: energy and industrial sovereignty; European competitiveness; and low carbon energy transition. “This contract is a commitment that obliges us all collectively. It is a pact of action and trust,” said CSFN President Xavier Ursat.
The main projects are:
- Construction of the six EPR2 reactors;
- Life extension of the existing NPP fleet;
- Strengthening R&D and the development of small modular reactors (SMRs);
- The development of fuel cycle technologies and the closure of the fuel cycle;
- The dismantling of old nuclear installations and the management of radioactive materials and waste.
CSFN said the text of the strategic contract is both an inventory of the sector and an operational action plan. It is structured around four strategic axes:
- Industrial performance: Optimise the industry’s ability to build plants in compliance with deadlines, costs and quality requirements. This includes the modernisation of production tools and the reliability of the supply chain.
- Skills and Employment: Meet the challenge of human resources with an objective of 10,000 recruitments per year. This involves initial training, work-study, professional retraining, as well as the establishment of attractiveness and talent mobilisation mechanisms in the regions.
- Innovation and Technologies of the Future: Accelerate research and development in strategic areas, in particular SMRs, new generations of reactors, digitalisation of the industry and advanced management of the fuel cycle.
- Energy Transition: To include the nuclear sector as an essential pillar of the French and European climate strategy, by guaranteeing a decarbonised, reliable and competitive electricity production. Put in place serious policies and protection of biodiversity within the sector.
CSFN will monitor the implementation of this contract, in close connection with government departments and stakeholders. Its mission is to coordinate efforts, support priority projects, evaluate progress and adapt actions to the needs of the sector and the regions.
“This sector contract marks a new step forward in the implementation of an ambitious and comprehensive industrial approach,” said Minister of Energy and Industry Marc Ferracci during the signing ceremony.
“The period we are covering, from 2025 to 2028, is crucial. It is part of a dynamic revival of nuclear power, following the speech by the President of the Republic in Belfort in 2022, said Minister of Economy Eric Lombard. This momentum, which we are realising today, embodies a response to the challenges of our time: energy sovereignty in an international context marked by increasing geopolitical tensions; energy transformation in a climate emergency and the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050; and the competitiveness of our French and European economies.”
CSFN was created in February 2011 bringing together all players in the nuclear industry: engineering companies, service providers, equipment manufacturers, fuel cycle companies, contractors, subcontractors, trade unions and regional associations of service providers.
A strategic contract for the nuclear industry was signed in January 2019 with the Minister of Ecological Transition, and the Minister of Economy and Finance with a 5-fold missions: first, ensuring skills and expertise for an attractive, safe and competitive French nuclear industry; second, using digital technologies to structure the supply chain integrating innovations more easily; third, promoting circular economy in nuclear industry; fourth, defining tomorrow’s reactors and tomorrow’s tools; and fifth, defining a consistent strategy for export including all the players. The CSFN is composed of members from the nuclear industry, trade unions, professional associations and administrations.
