Margaux Fodéré 10:03 a.m., October 13, 2022
After refineries, nuclear power plants are at the heart of a social movement.
The employees of five EDF nuclear power plants have taken renewable strike action, as part of the wage negotiations which will begin at EDF.
But the consequences should be limited.
Europe 1 takes stock.
Nuclear power plants in the news.
The employees of 5 EDF nuclear power plants have taken renewable strike action as part of the wage negotiations which are about to begin within the company.
These are the Cruas, Tricastin, Bugey and Cattenom power stations in the Rhône valley and the Gravelines power station in the North.
But the consequences should be few because the operation of nuclear power plants is highly regulated, unlike refineries.
Little impact on production
There will indeed be few consequences on production: as a public service provider, EDF has an obligation to supply electricity to the French.
The company must therefore maintain activity, as it has already done during the Covid crisis.
"EDF producing electricity and electricity being a public good, the country's authorities must be able to intervene in such a way as to require that there are enough people in the reactor control room", recalls Emmanuelle Galichet, teacher in nuclear physics at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris.
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Highly regulated safety standards
There will be no consequences on nuclear safety either.
In a control room, a striking employee is automatically replaced to precisely comply with safety standards.
"EDF is obliged to have a minimum of people responsible for electricity production (in the control room) to deal with all incidental or accidental situations that may occur", explains Emmanuelle Galichet.
For the moment 8 slices are blocked.
The strikes will be renewed at a minimum until the end of the wage negotiations which will begin next week, assures a representative of the nuclear production division of the CGT to Europe 1.