(se) THE FUTURE OF IN

by Colette LE WINER Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer ofSGNRéseau Eurisys - Société Generate pour les Techniques Nouvelles - European Nuclear Society Past President

The future of lies in what has been achieved today and it will be pursued. It is not, indeed, realistic to consider a major change in the French energy policy. As a consequence, consistency is the key factor of the French nuclear program from the start and for the foreseable future.

Although the of America stand first for the number of nuclear power units and the nuclear electricity generated, France is the first nuclear country in the world as regards the share of nuclear electricity and its nuclear program is unique. Presently only the Japanese program can sustain comparison.

A CONSISTENT ENERGY POLICY

In many respects, France reaps today the benefits of its successful and consistent energy policy. A consistent goal: energetic independance

Since 1973, France has always remained involved in a long-term energy policy orientated towards energetic independance. At the same time the country was engaged in a large scale expansion of its electricity generation capacity and Energy Saving Policy. The French electricity production capacity was doubled in less than IS years between 1976 and 1990. Oil substitution in industrial and domestic utilisations, coupled with expanded electricity demand resulted in the construction and operation of 57 nuclear power plants out of which 2 are fast breeder reactors (Phenix and Superphenix).

If, in 1973, oil supplied S3 % of steam-generated electricity, twenty years later the figure is just 2 %. Over the same period, the energetic independance ratio increased from 22 % in 1973 to 52 % in 1993, which is an average ratio for developped countries that should be maintained.

France is also among the few countries in the world to master the entire fuel cycle on Us territory : from prospection and extraction of , convertion and enrichment of uranium, fuel manufacturing, reprocessing and recycling nuclear materials and storage. This capability is also part of the success of nuclear in France since the economic advantages of nuclear generated electricity are to a large extent related to the ability to operate on an industrial basis of the different stages of the fuel cycle industry and to master the construction of nuclear reactors.

Another tribute to energetic independance was the effort placed on the fast technique to use more efficiently uranium and to lessen the needs of uranium on the international market. It resulted in the decision to build with the European consortium Nersa, including German and Italian partners, an industrial size prototype, Superphenix, which started operation in 1986.

The vicissitudes usually met in the operation of an industrial prototype coupled with those of economy (economic activity, uranium price...) questionned the FBR technique. However, on a long term basis and even if today the availability of uranium is not threatened and if prices are low, nobody can assume that the present situation will prevail over the next century and the need for breeder reactors might emerge.

Besides, as was recently underlined by the French Minister of Research's report on the possible contribution of Superphenix to the treatment of the back end of the . The fast neutron reactors appear today as a major technique to incinerate and thus reduce efficiently plutonium stockpiles. Superphenix could also serve as an experimental platform for the incineration of actinides and consequently improve the safety of long term radioactive waste storage.

This later assumption was certainly decisive in the authorization given to Nersa to restart again Superphenix. The last "green light" was given on August 3rd, 94 and the operation started on August 4th. Consistent nuclear technology choices

The consistent nuclear technology choices do not only apply to reactor technique but also to fuel cycle. . technique

France invested in an important nuclear R and D effort which derived from its long nuclear physics tradition and capacity. A graphite gas cooled reactor type was first developped (Marcoule, Chinon, St Laurent des Eaux, Bugey) by the French industry based on the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) technology.

However, the French Government decided, in 1969, to switch to Pressurized Water Reactors and the Westinghouse PWR licence was bought and developped by to comply with the requirements of the French Utility, Electricité de France, and to build standardized units to benefit from a scale effect and return of construction and operating experience.

Two PWR unit types were developped, first the 900 MWe unit and then the 1 300 MWe unit. For the latter type, Framatome has developped and registered its own reactor design. The next unit is a 1400 MWe plant that is under construction at Chooz near the Belgian border.

The French R & D efforts in the field of reactors are now moving to the European scene by participating both in the EPR 2000 project and the European Fast Reactor project. . The fuel Cycle

Consistently with the choice of Pressurized Water Reactors, the French Government decided, in 1972, to create a European unit for uranium enrichment with the Plant in Pierrelatte.

France also decided to close the fuel cycle by reprocessing spent fuels and recycling the reprocessed uranium and plutonium.

Among the advantages of the closed fuel cycle:

- Natural uranium and enrichment services savings amount to around 25 % of the needs. - Reprocessing allows the conditioning of wastes in stable matrices adapted to their level of radioactivity and to the lifetime of the radio-elements. - Isolating and recycling plutonium prevent from storing very long lifetime radio-elements.

Today, the Hague reprocessing plant is successfully operating. The 8001 capacity UP3 facility was pu> into service in 1991. With the start up of the UP2 800 in August 1994, the total capacity of the Hague facility will reach 1 600 t/year.

In 198S, EDF took the decision to recycle plutonium in its PWR reactors and consistently Cogema started building the Melox plant of a 120 tons of mixed oxyde fuel capacity. It will start production in 199S. Today 169 nuclear reactors receive up to 30 % of Mox fuel and studies are under way to increase the Mox share as a solution to value the energetic content of plutonium and to monitor its stockpile.

A consistent organization for nuclear industry.

The organization of the French nuclear industry is simple and based on unicity with a single French actor at each stage :

- EDF is the sole owner and operator of the power plants in France. The industrial architect is part of the same organisation as the operator, ensuring better understanding of the operator's needs and direct assimilation of experience.

- Framatome is the sole manufacturer responsible for the design and turnkey supply of the nuclear steam supply system (NSSS). Since Pechiney sold its nuclear activities in 1992 to Framatome and Cogema, nuclear fuel is manufactured by Fragema owned equally by Framatome and Cogema.

- Alsthom is the manufacturer in charge of designing and commissioning the turbine generator and major turbine hall components.

- The Cogema Group is the manufacturer spanning the entire nuclear fuel cycle and its associated activities as engineering and industrial services. The fuel activities of Cogema cover all the cycle : exploration and mining of uranium throughout the world, uranium enrichment, fuel manufacture of both uranium and mixed oxyde fuel, reprocessing of spent fuels, waste conditionning including fission product vitrification and in association with Framatome, Mox fuel fabrication.

• A powerful research organisation, the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). - A specific body for the management of Radioactive Storage facilities : ANDRA.

- Independant regulatory bodies (OPRI, Office Public des Rayonnements Ionisants, DSIN, Direction de la Sureté des Installations Nucléaires)

Such an organization certainly derived both from specificities of the French situation and the nuclear industrial sector:

- a French tradition for centralisation, - a largely public owned energy sector, - a powerful R and D body.

The main consequences and advantages resulting from this organization is :

- first, the standardization of the nuclear power plants, - second, a clear-cut responsibility of each actor. The achievements of a consistent energy policy

The achievements of the French nuclear program lie

- in the energetic independance ratio : 52 %, - in the reduction of atmospheric polluting emissions,

Since 1980 and although the electricity consumption was doubled, the substitution of nuclear energy to coal and oil, the emissions of CO2 have been reduced by 40%, those of NOX by 75% and those of SO2 by 70%. The polluting emissions in the atmosphere, in France, have been largely reduced :

CO2: 40% NOX: 75% SO2: 70%

- in the French electricity competitiveness and a competitive industrial sector.

The present nuclear capacity, in France, amounts to 58 000 MWe with 57 power plants. In 1993, it produced 350 billion kWh representing about 1/7 of the world nuclear energy production. All these figures in fact demonstrate the French nuclear competitiveness and focuse on the importance of the nuclear industry in the French economy.

. A competitive kWii

France is one of the countries where nuclear electricity competitiveness in comparison with electricity, has been demonstrated (cf. table 1).

Such competitive costs were mainly possible because of the large scale and standardized nuclear program. It has been established that investment costs were reduced by 15 % in the case of a 4 identical unit power plant on the same site. This scale effect was reinforced by the medium and long-term construction program developped and by a single operator company. In the past ten years, the price of electricity, in France, was reduced by 20 to 30 % in constant French Francs: - 20 to 25 % for domestic customers, - 30 % for industrial customers. In Germany, for example, the price of electricity is 40 % higher than in France for industrial customers

. Positive effect on the French balance of foreign currency.

The French nuclear program has been valuable to the French economy and balance in foreign currency in marry respects:

- the French nuclear program investment was certainly heavy to finance and loans were raised on the international market by EDF. These loans were originally raised in dollars but now EDF has converted its debt in a many other currencies,

- the French nuclear program is responsible for important savings in energy sources procurements, by largely cutting down (21 billion FF) fossil fuel imports and by enabling France to become the first electricity exportator in the world. In 1993, electricity exports amounted to 61 billion kWh (18,6 % increase from 1992),

- the French nuclear technology plays also an important part in the French industry:

. as a major industrial employer since nuclear industry represents around 100 000 jobs. . as an active report sector.

Apart from the electricity exports, the French nuclear industry exports represent between 4 to 9 billion French Francs per year, deriving from sales of nuclear technology in nuclear power plants (South Africa, ) and reprocessing technology ( and Great-Britain for the vitrification) and services.

Moreover, Cogema sells conversion, enrichment and reprocessing services to European and Asian utilities. The economic dimension of the Hague facility may be summed up in the 3 following figures :

- a 8 billion FF turnover, - 55 % export generated, - 97 % French added value.

As a conclusion to the present status, I would say that nuclear power stands in a pole position in France and that French nuclear industry is in a leading position in the world.

THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR POWER IN FRANCE

The French consistent energy policy should prevail in the future and the continuation of the nuclear program be pursued. Only could it be altered by external factors. Nuclear competitiveness is not questionned. In the present situation nuclear is competitive not only for (6 000 h) generation but also for shoulder power generation (4 000 h). The continuation of important investments in new nuclear plant is narrowly linked to the increase of electricity demand. The European guidelines on Energy policy in favour of the deregulation of the Electric system on the abolition of monopoles on energy production and distribution could also to a certain extent stress on the French nuclear program. At last, the continuation of the French nuclear program might certainly be endangered if a major accident occurred somewhere in the world, in an Eastern or Central Europe power plant, for instance, despite the fact that nuclear is clean towards the environment. It does not emit any carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxides nor dust, that is an important cost-related benefit when the rising carbon dioxide (CO2) content in our planet's atmosphere is one of the central problems of humankind today. And it's a human-made phenomenon caused mostly by energy production and consumption based on burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. These uncertainties may influence on the pace and number of nuclear units to build. Next long-term decisions

When, where and with what technology are the main questions related to long term decision for nuclear energy ?

. When ? As forecast in its energy program, after a tremendous effort to increase nuclear capacity that was almost doubled between 1983 and 1987 (26 800 MWe to 49 400 MWe), the construction and commissioning of new units has slown down. However, in 1993, 3 units were under construction and one in project (Civaux 1). Civaux 2 reactor has been ordered on January 1st 1993. Recently Electricity de France has adapted its construction program on the electricity demand evolution and delayed the order of any new reactor to 2 000.

The nuclear units in services have been built to last for 30 years at least and a lifetime extension program is undertaken to extend it to 40 years. This means that the renewal of the French nuclear power plants is foreseen for 2 010 and beyond.

This means also that dismantling will be the next century business. However it is already today a concern since financial provisions have been made which amount to IS % of the investment cost of a power plant and represent less than 5 % of the kWh cost. Some dismantling operations have been engaged especially in France for research reactors (Brennilis), for research fuel cycle facilities at Marcoule, as well as for the first power plants (Chinon).

The technology to dismantle exists and derives from rules adopted on an international basis.

. Where ?

Sites for new units are already available on facilities in operation such as Penly and Flamanville (Normandy) or St Alban (near Lyon). Application for two additional units on each site have been made in 1991 and 1992. A new site has been opened at Civaux (center of France) where 2 units are engaged. Studies for new sites are going on at Carnet (near Nantes) for example. . With what technology ?

Today, EDF is building a 1 400 MWe reactor, the prototype of which being Chooz Bl. The renewal of the French power plants design is also in preparation from a technological point of view. On one hand for the last 3 years, EDF with German, Belgian, English and It dian counterparts have been working on European specifications (European Utility Requirements (EUR)). On another hand, the Franco-German project REP on which EDF together with the German utilities and NPI (the and FRAMATOME subsidiary) is working, should come to the design of a European Pressurized Reactor agreed by both the French and German Safety Authorities.

As a matter of fact among the three alternatives for future reactors : - the revolutionary reactors developped on totally new conception and for small average power (200 to 600 MW), - the passive reactors insuring safety by in depth security devices (600 MW) - and the evolutionary reactors deriving from the present reactors, the last alternative is the most likely to be developped.

Evolution which derives from experience coupled with basic principles such as confinement and reinforced safety will certainly guarantee the safest achievements in the future. Visible simplification in design (separation of function), operation (full computerization) and maintenance as well as standardization of design is the main drive for the next generation of nuclear reactors.

FBR technology is another key element of the long term strategy of the French nuclear program both as an electricity generator or as tool to protect the environment : reduction of the plutonium stockpile, burning of actinides and better utilization of uranium. The first two objectives are the target assumed to Superphenix restart.

The CEA with the Phenix reactor follows the same policy with the Capra program consisting in a feasibility study on Fast Neutron Reactors ability to bum plutonium.

Next century challenges for nuclear in France

The challenges nuclear will have to face in France and that will have to be faced in every country, can be divided into two categories :

- the challenges already fulfilled, - the challenges not yet completely fulfilled.

. Challenges already fulfilled

Among the challenges already met by the French nuclear program, I will place :

- competitiveness, - successful, safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities, - cleanliness towards the environment.

I need not to come back to competitiveness which has already been proved and that can only in the long term be increased under the pressure of a growing energy demand and more stringent environmental regulations regarding the . In the field of PWRs, France accounts for SOO year-reactor of experience to be compared to the worldwide experience of 2 300 year-reactor. As concerns the fuel cycle both fuel supply as well as reprocessing high level waste conditionning and surface storage of low level waste have been safely and successfully operated over a long period of time.

Safety is a major issue for nuclear energy. If the French technology relies on a good safety approach by having devdopped the containment principle, it benefited from the worldwide experience through organisations such as IAEA or WANO. Moreover human factor are better taken into account for through enhanced training of the operators and the developpment of safety culture. This is another guarantee to safety supported by human responsibility of the different actors.

Gentleness to the environment is another major concern of today's world in two respects at least: CO2 and waste. I already mentionned the CO2 emission reduction in the French context.

Waste is the second major concern for environmental issues.

Nuclear energy has taken into account the management of its wastes from the start. It is even the first industry to achieve what should be the purpose of any industry i.e to control its wastes.

The prerequisites for safe handling and disposal and radioactive wastes exist and rely on the Concentration and Confinement (CC) principle against the Dilution and Dispersion (DD) principle that prevailed in some industrial activities until recently.

France is in an advanced position since reprocessing used fuels reduces the volume of radioactive wastes. For example, for highly radioactive wastes, reprocessing generates 1 400 I/tons of Uranium contained in the fuel elements against 2 000 I/tons for direct storage and the present performances should be improved. In France, nuclear electricity generation represents 1 kg of radioactive wastes per inhabitant per year out of which 20gr are fission products. They are to be compared with the 2 SOO kg of industrial wastes produced each year. 90 % of the radwastes produced are lew and medium radioactive wastes which have a short radioactive life (300 years) and which are stored in surface storage facilities in the La Hague repository (Manche) or the Soulaine repository (Aube). The storage capacity of La Hague repository has been fully filled this year and the Soulaines repository commissionned in 1991 will be in operation for the next 30 years.

. The challenges uncompleted fulfilled

In this second category, the main issue that has not been totally settled is public information on two specific topics: high level radioactive waste and safety.

The information of the Public is of first importance in democratic countries. Increasing transparency on the operation of nuclear facilities and incidents occuring is essential. This has been confirmed by opinion surveys.

A survey made in 1991 on French public opinion and nuclear energy reveals that if 57 % agree with the French energy policy. Safety (Chernobyl) and radwaste issues are the main arguments (40 %) for nuclear energy opponents. As for the most important arguments in favour of nuclear, energetic independance (37 %), French economic development (21 %) and kWh cost (19 %) came first.

These results clearly demonstrate the success of the French energy policy and the progress that have to be done towards public information.

. Radioactive wastes

What is still under question is the storage of long life and highly radioactive wastes that are not compatible with surface storage requirements. These radioactive wastes are so far concentrated and vitrified before being placed in stainless steel containers temporarily stored in ventilated wells at the reprocessing facility of the Hague.

The prerequisites for safe storage in stable and deep geological layer exist. The French authorities have recently taken new measures to insure a consistent policy in this matter too. A law was edicted by French authorities in december 1991 to come to the safest storage of these radwaste within 10 to 15 years at the latest.

It means that researches are undertaken to insure the storage of these waste:

- Study in geological storage laboratories for the next 10 to 15 years. Two sites will be chosen by ANDRA and experiments will be undertaken before geological sites for storage are selected. - Nomination by the government of a mediator for the geological storage survey. - Modification of the ANDRA status into a public company to insure a better transparency. - Selection of eventual location for the waste underground research laboratory : 4 departments (Meuse, Gard, Vienne and Haute-Mame) are now candidates for a storage site.

.Safety

This topic is of great concern in public. It is also a field in which great progress have been achieved and are still under way.

But probably, the nuclear community has not let it be known enough and in a proper way to the public.

. Communication

The transparency towards the public as well as a more adapted communication should be even more developped. Progress has already been made in this direction :

- existence and promotion of the International Nuclear Events Scale (INES), which has been recently adopted in France in the place of the French scale which was quite similar to INES, - opening of nuclear facilities to the Public, In France, around 300 000 persons/year visit a , - creation of a worldwide fax information service on nuclear : NucNet aimed to improve medias and public opinion information. A specific fax information service has also been set up in French on a national level by SFEN : "La correspondance nueléaire", - local information efforts as well as the policy of insertion of the plants in the local environment adopted by all the nuclear operators is very important and generally nuclear activities are not questionned by the vicinity but by external if not international persons, - nuclear advertizing campaigns produced by EDF and Cogema in the press and on TV. 10

In this respect, it is interesting to note that it is in the countries in which visible and active information campaigns are made (France, Great-Britain) that you have still nuclear units under construction and a good public acceptance.

Adapted and objective information channels should be even more devdopped by all nuclear actors, individually or within their professional organization such as the nuclear societies. Furthermore some specific targets should be chosen as:

- women, A worldwide initiative was recently launched by the European Nuclear Society at the 1993 Pime meeting in Karlovy Vary on January 31st, 1993 with the creation of WIN (Women in Energy). - schoolchildren, Nuclear she visits and conference programs for school children and teachers are devdopped. In France, 60 % of the IS 000 to 30 000 visitors of each nuclear site are school children. An educational kit on energy generation has been widely distributed in secondary school and is under review. - young people, The French Nuclear Society (SFEN) has a special Branch for young auditors, mainly students of scientific schools and universities studying in fields related to nuclear, Physics, Chemistry, engineers... - inhabitants in the neighbouring vicinity of a nuclear facility, - public opinion leaders as politicians, professors, medical doctors...

For the last few years, communication has been developped in direction of doctors and medecine professionals. 10 000 doctors attended conferences and visited a nuclear site. A special publication "Médecins et rayonnements" (Doctors and Radiations) is distributed to 35 000 doctors.

More than 5 000 conferences are organized each year for these various public. A special itinerant exhibition "Lumiéres d'Atomes" (Lights of Atoms), organized by all the French nuclear actors under SFEN, informs more than 15 000 persons each year in 3 to 4 cities.

As a matter of fact, even if the figures and communication actions listed are important, they just inform IS % of the population, that is why nuclear actors decided to use advertizing campaign with a target of 50 % of people informed.

In France, the first stage was an EDF press campaign "Today, 75 % of electricity is nuclear". The second stage was 2 TV spots showing nuclear electricity in everyday life. A minitel service was created to give information and distribute documentation on this occasion. At the same time Cogema launched a campaign explaining the company's activities.

Efforts in communication will have to be increased especially in the matters where we have to convince: safety and waste. Actions have to be developped both on a national level, or on a local level by supporting local initiatives : local radio channels, it is the case in Creys-Malville in addition with the diffusion of a magazine "Les colonnes de Creys", nuclear associative groups, etc...

From a more European, if not international point of view, I would add that messages should be defined and adopted on an international basis and then adapted to the national or local context. 11

TO CONCLUDE

If energetic independance was the heart of the success of the French nuclear program, the reason for the impressive results nuclear energy achieved in a few decades not only in France but in the world is the value of nuclear energy itself: nuclear energy is modern, in the strict acceptation of its meaning: "pertaining to the present time".

It means that nuclear energy is an alternative to the challenges today's world is facing:

- an ever increasing demand for competitiveness. - a growing demand for energy, As for the French nuclear program, the strategy will consist

* in maintaining the existing plants in a high level of quality and safety for a lifetime period about 35 years, * in devdopping an evolutionnary European reactor, both safe and competitive in order to use better the return of experience from the present reactors, * in a permanent effort to adapt our strategy and program to the industrial or political changes, * in keeping aware not to isolate the French situation and getting involved within the international main stream, * in mastering our technology and industrial policy. ANNEXE

ENERGY SOURCES

Nuckar 21-22 24-25 Coal 27-32 30-35 Combined cyde natural ps 28-43 31-47