Baptiste Morin 6:24 a.m., November 16, 2022
Reviving nuclear power is Emmanuel Macron's ambition.
Two new reactors are due to come into service from 2035. A bill to speed up the construction of new reactors will be examined in Parliament by the end of the year.
And even before the projects are validated, the sector is preparing to recruit massively.
Relaunch nuclear power in France.
This is the ambition of Emmanuel Macron, who wants to build six new reactors by 2050. Eight others, still at the planning stage, could join the program.
To cope with these future projects, the nuclear sector plans to recruit 10,000 people per year until 2030, i.e. 80,000 recruitments in less than 10 years.
One half will operate and maintain the existing fleet.
The other will have to materialize the future of French nuclear power outlined by the President in Belfort last February.
At least six next-generation reactors are to come, and it is projected that 40,000 people will be needed to build and operate them.
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“One in two employees who will work in the sector in 2030 does not work there today”, explains Alain Tranzer, general delegate for industrial quality and nuclear skills at EDF.
"So there is a major challenge in attracting, training, recruiting and accelerating the experience and skills of newcomers."
Up to 7,500 people on the Penly site
The sector has just launched a school of specialized welders called "Hefaïs", in homage to the Greek god of metallurgy and volcanoes.
The first major nuclear project is expected to be a pair of new reactors at Penly, near Dieppe.
At its peak, in 2029, the site will require 7,500 employees.
But this project like the rest must still be validated by Parliament and it is not expected before the second half of 2023.