The safety authority opens the door to extending the lifespan of nuclear reactors beyond 60 years

Will France be able to count on the 56 reactors currently in operation (excluding the more recent Flamanville EPR) after 2040? Since nuclear power is a long-term industry, the question arises today. The Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) is opening a public consultation on October 22 and until December 2 on the prospects for continued operation of EDF's nuclear power reactors beyond their 60 years. The issue is essential. It largely determines the electricity production that France will have in the coming decades. The country benefits from a program launched in 1973: the famous Messmer plan.

“The ASNR has not identified, based on current knowledge, any obstacles to extending the lifespan of reactors beyond 60 years,” explained Pierre-Marie Abadie, president of the ASNR this Thursday before the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST). This is an opinion, which is not…