Paris (AFP)
The National Assembly gave the green light Thursday night to allow the government to proceed with the closure of the last four coal plants by 2022, during the review of the energy bill and climate.
The measure, adopted by 48 votes and 5 abstentions, provides for a decree to cap greenhouse gas emissions emitted by fossil fuel power plants located in metropolitan France and emitting more than 0.550 tonnes of electricity. 'CO2 equivalents per hour'.
This will "lead the plant operators to cease operation of the coal-fired units".
It is also planned: specific support for the employees of the plants concerned and their subcontractors, around 670 direct and 740 indirect jobs according to the impact study accompanying the text.
Two of the coal plants belong to EDF and are located in Cordemais (Loire-Atlantique) and Le Havre (Seine-Maritime). The other two, owned by German Uniper, are in Gardanne (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Saint-Avold (Moselle). The EDF group announced at the beginning of June that it will close that of Le Havre in the spring of 2021.
"It is an important energy choice to turn a page (...) and this is the energy transition," said Minister of Ecological Transition François de Rugy.
He added that "many of these territories, other activities of energy production, renewable energy or industrial activity related to renewable energy will take over."
Coal represents "1.8%" of the share of electricity production, "but it is 35% of emissions that we will reduce," said Célia de Lavergne, responsible for the text for LREM, welcoming to achieve "a big step towards carbon neutrality in 2050".
On the closing of the power plants, Laure de la Raudiere (UDI-Independents) praised "a courageous decision" then the former "walker" Matthieu Orphelin (not registered), close to Nicolas Hulot, hailed "a major step forward".
Julien Aubert (LR) approved a measure "going in the right direction" while calling on the executive to "not neglect social realities".
Hubert Wulfranc (PCF) abstained, saying that "the immediate future of employees" was "not totally secure".
The former Minister of Ecology Delphine Batho (unregistered) saw in the choice to proceed by decree a will of the government to "obviously retain a margin of flexibility". "Is it actually to put these power plants on standby while keeping the possibility of running them for a few hours?" She asked.
Ms. Batho, like the Socialist Group and the Rogue, has vainly demanded the closure of the plants in 2022 without going through the regulatory route.
? 2019 AFP