Luxembourg will draft an opinion expressing disagreement with the French Government’s plans to postpone its reduction of nuclear energy.
As part of the Multiannual Energy Programme project, an instrument for guiding energy policy, the French Government confirmed its desire to postpone its strategy of reducing the share of nuclear energy and push back, through a draft decree, the deadlines for the closure of nuclear power plants.
The Luxembourg Government has already expressed its disagreement with the draft French decree, which will delay the exit of nuclear power and set a trajectory for the nuclear fleet until the achievement in 2035 of the 50% reduction target by the French Government in terms of nuclear power generation
The Luxembourg authorities, concerned by the threats posed by nuclear energy so close to its borders to the health and safety of citizens of the Grand Duchy, have reiterated that this approach would lead to a significant delay and ultimately lead to a huge extension of the life of nuclear power plants - therefore operating at least 49.3 years on average.
Following an exchange of letters with the French Minister for the Ecological and Solidarity Transition, François de Rugy, Luxembourg Minister of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Carole Dieschbourg, and Minister of Energy, Claude Turmes, have decided to inform the French environmental impact assessment study, particularly as regards its cross-border aspects.
In drafting this opinion, the Luxembourg Government will use the expertise of its environmental administrations as well as international experts. The opinion will address among others the following aspects: the influence of the discharges of the Cattenom nuclear power station on the quality and the temperature of the Moselle as well as the question of the safety of the Cattenom nuclear power plant.
