Publication Laka-library:
The French nuclear programme: Part 1 Political, institutional and logistical factors

AuthorS.Thomas, SPRU Sussex
Date1989
Classification 2.02.0.00/54 (FRANCE - GENERAL)
Front

From the publication:

1 INTRODUCTION

As most nuclear power programmes throughout the world have ceased to expand 
over the past decade, public attention has focused increasingly on the French nuclear 
power programme. This, alone amongst Western energy programmes has preserved 
the vision 'toute electrique, toute nucleaire' which was a strong force in the 1970s. 
The French programme is perceived to have overcome the twin problems of 
deteriorating economics and implacable opposition, albeit by rather more 
authoritarian and centralised means than most countries would find palatable. There 
is also an emerging perception that France now has rather a lot of eggs in its nuclear 
basket, and admiration of France’s resolve is becoming qualified, especially as the 
weakness of fossil fuel prices increasingly erodes nuclear power's competitive 
position. This pair of articles assembles economic data on the performance of the 
French nuclear power programme, examines the means by which that programme 
has been carried through and assesses its strategic impact.
This first article examines the political and institutional structures that enabled the 
programme to be carried through, including the history of nuclear power in France. 
On the technical side, it examines technology choice, the use of standardisation and 
the manufacturing facilities required. The second article will examine the economic 
performance of the French nuclear programme, both at detailed plant by plant level 
and at the broader macro-economic level. (For an international comparative 
perspective on the French nuclear power programme, see S.D.Thomas, The Realities 
of Nuclear Power: International Economic and Regulatory Experience, Cambridge 
University Press, Cambridge. 1988).

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