Nuclear: Aube candidate to host 2 EPR2 reactors, the file soon handed over to Emmanuel Macron

It is called the “Nogent oath”, a form of union of local elected officials driven by the mayor of Troyes in 2023. The issue? Defend the candidacy of Nogent-sur-Seine (Aube) and its nuclear power plant to host two new generation EPR2 reactors around 2050.

“This is an enormous challenge which will guarantee the prosperity of Aubois for the next 30 years,” recalls François Baroin. The figures are indeed dizzying: 10 billion euros of investments, 10,000 jobs created, ten years of work… “plus the preparatory work, the supporting public policies on housing, on infrastructure, training at the University of Technology of Troyes and the IUT, the management of land reserves, the protection of biodiversity, the contribution of our department to decarbonization at the national and international level, it is absolutely a magnificent story”, underlines the chosen one.

After more than two years of work, the elected officials concerned were able to present to EDF their arguments in favor of Aube’s candidacy. “All the subjects that make us strong have been listed: water, land control, our projects in terms of transport and skills, or the enormous effort to prepare all the stakeholders in the territory to face all these challenges,” specifies the prefect of Aube, Pascal Courtade.

This preparation will involve changes to urban planning regulations, particularly in terms of buildable areas for housing, which local authorities are already ready to implement. “This is what will lead us to commit the signature of all the actors of the steering committee to deliver to the President of the Republic this oath of Nogent, translated concretely by commitments, by signatures, by visibility, and that it is a clear decision for the arrival of these EPR2”, summarizes François Baroin.

An important issue also for Île-de-France

The issues go beyond the Aube department, hence the presence of the Grand Est and Île-de-France regions, the Seine-et-Marne department and even the Greater Paris Metropolis in this working group.

“It is a project that must also be linked to the national nuclear development strategy and the sovereignty of our country,” recalls Franck Leroy, president of Grand Est. “We are currently experiencing moments of tension that we did not suspect on an international scale. We all understood today that the notion of European and national sovereignty was a major issue… And for once, this project makes the link between the most important interests of our country and the development of a territory. »

On the Île-de-France side, we recall the importance of the Aube nuclear power plant, the only one surrounding the Ile-de-France region, whether for electricity delivery or more broadly for the local economy and employment.

“We have the capacity to offer all the necessary human resources through young people who can go into these nuclear and energy professions… This offer exists in Île-de-France,” says Yann Wehrling, vice-president of the region in charge of ecological transition. “We are also a region that is going to have enormous electricity needs, with the explosion of artificial intelligence and the need for nearby data centers for data management. More generally, we are once again calling for massive electrification of uses in France. In the coming years, we will need increased electrical capacity and this project will respond to it,” he adds.

A decision by the end of 2026?

The project also does its part to deal with climate change and its consequences, particularly on the production of hydraulic electricity. “All rivers in the next twenty years will unfortunately be victims of drops in power and denouement,” certifies the president of Seine Grands Lacs Patrick Ollier. The presence of the manager of the two large Aube lakes in the working group is presented as a guarantee of security for the construction of these 2 EPR2s within the Nogent-sur-Seine nuclear power plant, particularly in the event of drought. “Lake Orient and Lake Amance represent 400 million m3 of water, which can help cool the reactors,” he recalls.

Can this project be slowed down by the additional cost of the invoice sent by EDF to the government for the first 6 EPR2 projects launched in France? “I was Minister of the Economy,” replies François Baroin. “We know that the first models are more expensive since they are experimenting. But the next EPR2 will benefit from the added value of the skills acquired, the control of order flows for all raw materials, the management of all supporting public policies on housing, infrastructure, etc. I think we will have a better quality-price ratio on a highly capital-intensive economic model,” reassures the mayor of Troyes.

All these details will appear in a sort of white paper submitted in the coming weeks to Emmanuel Macron. “A decision-making aid,” adds François Baroin. For a decision by the end of the year? “My understanding is that it is in the interest of the State and the country to set a road map for EDF for the next 50 years. It can be done before summer, it can be done after summer. For my part, I would like this to be done by the end of his mandate (in 2027),” replies the elected official from Troy.