France just rewrote its energy future. On February 13, the government passed its third Multiannual Energy Programme by decree, committing to six new EPR2 reactors at Penly, Gravelines, and Bugey, with a decision on eight more by end of year. The law scraps the previous mandate to shut 14 of France's 57 reactors and extends the lifespan of the existing fleet to 50 or 60 years. Wind and solar targets were slashed. Nuclear already provides roughly 70% of France's electricity and makes it the world's largest net electricity exporter. Macron is doubling down.

1. This Is How You Decarbonize (Macron government, EDF, European nuclear alliance)

France already proved nuclear works -- now it's building the next generation.

Macron has been saying this for years. He declared "the time was right for a nuclear renaissance" back in February 2022, and PPE3 is the formal execution. The plan sets a nuclear production target of 380-420 TWh per year between 2030 and 2035, up from 373 TWh generated in 2025. Based on history output, this is totally achievable.

France's total energy consumption will go up to 60% by 2030, from around 30% today. That means massively scaling electrification across the economy -- and nuclear is the baseload that makes it possible. France's electricity is already among the cleanest in Europe precisely because of its nuclear fleet.

Germany's policy reversal helped. Germany legitimized France's strategy at the EU level back in May 2025. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government dropped Germany's long-standing opposition to nuclear power, as France had been pushing to replace the EU's renewable energy policy with a broader "decarbonized energy" directive. That treats nuclear on equal footing with wind and solar. With Berlin stepping aside, the path widened.

2. They Can't Actually Build These Things (IEEFA, Greenpeace France, renewable energy advocates)

Flamanville took 17 years and the budget exploded sevenfold -- and they want to build six more?

14 new reactors by 2050 is "unrealistic." The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis says France's plan to build is simply not possible. Nuclear should keep playing a role, but "not at the expense of renewables growth."

Flamanville-3 is the cautionary tale. Construction started in 2007. Grid connection came in December 2024 — 17 years later. The original budget was EUR 3.3 billion. EDF's latest figure: EUR 13.2 billion. Over 7,000 design changes were required. And the timeline for these new reactors keeps slipping.

Greenpeace France: quit believing in the "nuclear myth". They also flagged that the planned EPR2 reactor sites are vulnerable to rising sea levels. And in summer 2025, EDF had to shut down four reactors at Gravelines because jellyfish clogged the cooling systems -- a warming North Sea problem.

3. The Uranium Problem (Semafor, Al Jazeera, Africa Analyst)

France built its nuclear empire on cheap African uranium -- and the supply just collapsed.

Niger's ruling junta revoked French permits. It nationalized the Somaïr mine in June 2025, ending a 50-year relationship. Paris had had near-exclusive access to the ore. The junta accused France of unequal profit-sharing and blocked exports.

France also lost the Imouraren permit in April 2025. This could have produced 5,000 tonnes of uranium annually, from the largest uranium mine in the world. Analysis call this a "gaping supply hole." And Semafor reported in November 2025 that Niger plans to sell 1,000 tons of uranium to Russia, adding a geopolitical dimension to what was already an energy security crisis.

Without Niger, France must scramble for imports from Kazakhstan and Canada at a time when the global uranium market is already tight. Building 14 new reactors while your primary fuel supply evaporates is a gamble that the PPE3 document doesn't address.

Where This Lands

France is making the biggest nuclear bet in a generation. The math is simple: 70% of its electricity already comes from reactors, it exports more power than any other country, and decarbonization demands more electricity, not less. But the execution record is less reassuring. Flamanville's EUR 23.7 billion lesson is fresh. The EPR2 timeline is already slipping. The uranium supply chain that France spent half a century building in Africa is unraveling. Whether PPE3 becomes the model for Europe or the most expensive cautionary tale in energy history depends on something France has struggled with for two decades: building reactors on time and on budget.

Sources

  • France 24 -- France slashes renewable energy targets, expands nuclear (Feb 2026): france24.com
  • NucNet -- France publishes energy roadmap confirming six new reactors (Feb 2026): nucnet.org
  • Carbon Credits -- France shocks energy sector, new law boosts nuclear: carboncredits.com
  • World Nuclear News -- EDF estimates EPR2 costs at EUR 72.8 billion: world-nuclear-news.org
  • EnkiAI -- France's nuclear build-out 2026, execution risks: enkiai.com
  • Euronews -- France bets on six new reactors (Feb 2026): euronews.com
  • World Nuclear Association -- Nuclear power in France: world-nuclear.org
  • Enerdata -- EDF full-year 2025 results: enerdata.net
  • Interesting Engineering -- Flamanville reactor, EUR 13.2 billion: interestingengineering.com
  • NucNet -- Flamanville-3 grid connection (Dec 2024): nucnet.org
  • IEEFA -- France's nuclear buildout must not jeopardise renewables: ieefa.org
  • TechXplore -- France bets on nuclear, Greenpeace criticism: techxplore.com
  • Semafor -- Niger plans to sell 1,000 tons of uranium to Russia (Nov 2025): semafor.com
  • Africa Analyst -- Detriment for France losing Niger uranium: africaanalyst.com
  • African Perceptions -- Niger tensions with France, uranium nationalisation (Feb 2026): africanperceptions.org
  • Discovery Alert -- Niger uranium dispute, Orano supply chain crisis: discoveryalert.com.au
  • Al Jazeera -- Resource nationalism in Niger (Jan 2025): aljazeera.com
  • Brussels Signal -- Germany drops opposition to nuclear at EU level (May 2025): brusselssignal.eu
  • Science|Business -- Germany may tip European nuclear debate: sciencebusiness.net
  • Clean Energy Wire -- France dispatch, EU nuclear push: cleanenergywire.org
  • ITIF -- Lessons from France's nuclear program (Sept 2025): itif.org