The closing process of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant, the oldest in France, will be initiated this year, EDF announced Wednesday. But before the energy company wants to reach an agreement with the state regarding its compensation. “This issue is a prerequisite for site closure demand,” said a spokesman for EDF. Earlier, the Le Monde said that the group refused “to engage the closure.”
STORIES & gt; & gt; The Fessenheim plant closed in 2016, an impossible promise?
Close the plant, “legally speaking, it is mandatory,” insisted the spokesman of EDF, but recalls an amount of compensation must first be presented to the board of directors of the group. And only after it has pronounced in favor of that, he may file a request revocation of the authorization to operate the Alsatian plant located on the border with Germany and Switzerland. The central works council (CEC) should also be consulted.
80 to 100 million euros proposed
“There is no questioning of the closure planning”, however, assured the door -parole.En April at a hearing in the Senate, Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of the energy company, announced a closure that would begin “in December.” The government expects the official request of EDF by end of June.
The state, which owns a 85% of EDF’s capital, proposed a compensation of around 80 to 100 million euros in exchange for the closure of the Fessenheim. This amount is well below the expectations of the energy group. At the Department of Energy, it is stated that Ségolène Royal was “confident” in the commitment made by EDF to close the plant. “Discussions are continuing,” says one. This is confirmed by the group: “The discussions are ongoing with the government on the subject of compensation.” In May, the Economy Minister, Emmanuel Macron, had indicated that the amount of compensation would be determined by experts ‘independent’.
A closure for an opening
Country commitment of Francois Hollande, the president confirmed the closure of the plant in April, at the environmental conference. He assured that the decree ratifying the decision would be “taken this year.” The energy transition law that caps the nuclear generation capacity in France, must ensure the entry into service EPR reactor in Flamanville (Manche), scheduled for late 2018, in parallel to the closure of Fessenheim.
“There are discussions. I believe that on this issue there is to reconcile points of view between EDF and the wish of the government. The government’s goal is to meet the commitment of the President to initiate the process of closing Fessenheim, “said the spokesman of the government, Stéphane Le Foll, on Wednesday after the Council of Ministers.
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