We are currently witnessing a full-on energy revolution the likes of which we have not seen for 50 years. We can no longer ignore the climate crisis and we must act now! The challenge is to decarbonize our society. Electrification is one of the primary levers we can activate to achieve this goal: nuclear energy must play a central role alongside renewable energies.
The war in Ukraine, taking place right on Europe’s doorstep, has also highlighted the essential need for countries, and more specifically the European Union, to strengthen their energy sovereignty. We are therefore faced with a dual challenge: fighting climate change and containing global warming to 2°C in accordance with the Paris Agreement. These challenges, coupled with surging energy prices, are forcing us to move the goalposts.
In Europe, the European Commission has now classified the nuclear industry among sustainable investments and many Member States have decided to build new reactors (including the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden) or discontinue their nuclear phase-out policies (Belgium). In France, the Belfort speech delivered by President Macron in early 2022 constituted a turning point, with the announcement of a program to build new nuclear reactors and extend the lifetime of existing ones.
This is great news for the climate, the preservation of resources, the buttressing of a strong industry and for our country’s sovereignty. As a forward-looking industry, nuclear energy will continue to help us build our future through the construction of reactors and management of the nuclear fuel cycle, Orano’s core business.
