EDF to pitch its next-gen nuclear reactors with Slovenia - Reuters
EDF to pitch its next-gen nuclear reactors with Slovenia | Reuters
EDF to pitch its next-gen nuclear reactors with Slovenia
The logo is seen prior to the presentation of the French state-owned utility EDF 2023 half-year results in Paris, France, July 27, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
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PARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - French nuclear energy company EDF on Thursday said it made an offer to Gen Energija on the construction of next-generation nuclear reactors in Slovenia after years of talks between the two parties.
"EDF submitted a set of technical and commercial proposals to support the construction of two EPR1200 units and alternatively one EPR unit in Slovenia", the group said in a statement.
EDF has been in talks with Gen Energija since 2019, it said.
The group is also trying to sell its EPR reactors to Poland and the Czech Republic and is discussing potential offers with several other European states as they seek to become more self-sufficient in power supply and reduce carbon emissions.
In its statement issued on the occasion of the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris, EDF said it also signed cooperation agreements with several Polish firms to 'deepen the relationship with the Polish industry'.
A cooperation memorandum with Italy's GIFEN, Ansaldo Nucleare and the Associazione Italiana Nucleare was also signed, EDF said, in view of reinforcing supply chains for reactor projects 'in France and Europe, including potentially in Italy.'
State-owned EDF -- the centerpiece of France's planned nuclear renaissance announced by President Emmanuel Macron -- is currently gearing up to finance and realise the construction of at least six new reactors at home.
It is also planning to build new reactors in Britain, after having built EPR reactors France and China - grappling with massive delays and budget overruns in both places.
Reporting by Tassilo Hummel Editing by GV De Clercq
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Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.