The French government has granted EDF the environmental authorization to begin preparatory work for the two next-generation EPR2 reactors planned at the Penly nuclear power plant in Seine-Maritime.
This authorization, detailed in a decree published in the Official Journal on June 3rd, is a significant step forward for France’s nuclear energy revitalization program.
Preparing the Site for EPR2 Production Units
With this authorization, EDF can now initiate preparatory work, which includes “developing the site for the EPR2 production units.” The decree, signed by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Minister for Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu, and Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau, outlines the scope of work permitted.
The preparatory work encompasses various activities, such as “clearing and deforestation, relocation of protected fauna and flora,” “creation of construction site facilities,” “earthworks” and cliff re-profiling, “improvement of site access,” and “creation of a parking lot.” The majority of these activities will occur in the municipality of Petit-Caux, facing the English Channel.
Government Justification for Authorization
The government justifies granting this authorization by highlighting the site’s existing industrial and nuclear nature. The decree states that the site, with its “man-made part, reclaimed from the sea, and former construction sites,” already has limited biodiversity and ecological functions, minimizing the impact of work in this already industrialized and nuclearized area.
3.5 Years of Work to Commence This Summer
The Interministerial Delegation for New Nuclear (DINN) celebrated this milestone on LinkedIn, calling it “a major milestone in the regulatory sequence of the Penly project.” According to DINN, the preparatory work at Penly, expected to last 3.5 years, will begin gradually this summer.
DINN clarified that this authorization, aligned with the Nuclear Acceleration Law of June 22, 2023, enables the start of preparatory work while the examination of the application for authorization to create the future nuclear facilities continues. The “nuclear” work (reactor construction) remains contingent on obtaining the creation authorization decree.
Revitalizing France’s Nuclear Power
This development aligns with President Emmanuel Macron’s February 2022 announcement of a comprehensive program to revive nuclear power in France. This program includes the construction of at least six next-generation EPR2 reactors, with the first two units at Penly targeted for commissioning by 2035.