Re-launch the existing nuclear fleet, complete the deployment of six new generation reactors (EPR) and accelerate renewable energies. These are the main tasks that Luc Rémont, the new President and CEO of EDF, will have to perform. All in a context marked by an unprecedented energy crisis in Europe, caused by the war that Russia launched in Ukraine on February 24.
Barely an eye, successor to Jean-Bernard Levy It will be transferred under the supervision of the state, which will soon become the sole shareholder of the electrician. for him Implementation of strategic and industrial projects as quickly as possible announced by the President of the Republic in Balfour on February 10, 2022, Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance, noted July 7, in a press release. remarkably “The launch of the construction program for six EPR 2 nuclear reactors and the contribution of EDF to accelerating the development of renewable energies”.
In the very short term, the new president’s first challenge will be to stick to the schedule to restart the entire nuclear fleet, while France risks running out of electricity this winter. Of the group’s 56 reactors, 26 are currently closed due to maintenance, corrosion or refueling issues. In theory, five should leave in September, five in October, followed by seven in November, three in December, three in January, then two in February, as detailed, on September 14, Cedric Lewandowski, CEO of the EDF, who He crossed with the former CEO before the Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.
manpower shortage
“EDF has pledged to restart all reactors that have been closed for this winter”, noted Agnes Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Energy Transition, at the end of the Energy Defense Council on September 2. However, there is a possibility that many experts consider highly optimistic, given the multiple risks the group has faced, such as the prolonged and unplanned shutdown of four reactors on August 25, due to corrosion problems.
To implement this plan, Luc Rémont would have to address the shortage of skilled labor, which contributes to delaying the revival of the nuclear fleet. Due to the shortage of industrial welders, pipe fitters, machinists, and boiler makers in sufficient numbers, for example, EDF must hire workers in Romania, Portugal or elsewhere, which it trains in at least two or three years.
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