Nuclear safety, climate and electricity prices: two energy laws in preparation, says Agnès Pannier-Runacher

Europe 1 with AFP 10:33 am, September 26, 2023

The government will present two laws before the end of the year on energy, one on the reform of nuclear safety, the other on the climate and a "sustainable device" allowing "to keep among the lowest prices in Europe of electricity," said the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Tuesday.

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"Take back control over the prices of our electricity"

"In the medium term I will bring two laws in the coming months to reform the governance of our nuclear safety system and to regain control over the prices of our electricity, more broadly on energy and climate," said the minister during a telephone briefing with the press, her office specifying that the two texts were intended to be presented "before the end of the year". "It is a question of putting in place a sustainable device that makes it possible to maintain among the lowest prices in Europe while preventing the soaring prices that we have experienced in recent months, contained by the emergency device that is the shield," said the minister.

On the climate aspect and multiannual energy programming, which is also intended to be included in the same text, the minister "expects the doubling of production in photovoltaic and biogas", on "the stabilization of the trajectory of onshore wind turbines on the pace of 2022, on the acceleration of offshore wind turbines to be able to launch a major call for tenders at the end of 2024, early 2025". The minister also wants an "increase in investments in storage such as batteries or STEP" hydroelectric.

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A "great debate" on renewable energies

"In this programming, we will integrate the revival of nuclear power with EDF which has a managerial objective of 400 TWh of production," she added, specifying that the government would retain "360 TWh out of caution". Ditto for renewable energies, the government wants to retain production targets a little "more cautious" than what the sector announces to be able to produce.

"I don't want the system to be jeopardised by overestimated objectives," she said. On renewable energies, the minister's office indicated that a "great debate of six months" would open "in November" on "the four maritime facades". "This will allow us to gain about two years compared to the current procedures," said the same source. Emmanuel Macron, on Monday, had given an overview of the legislative calendar concerning energy, which was so far not confirmed.

"The strategy we have validated today (...) will allow us to consult our multiannual energy policy in October, to have political meetings in October and November on the deployment of offshore wind, which will launch the public debate on offshore wind, and which will allow us to meet the objective of calls for tenders on offshore wind by the end of 2024, which is absolutely key, and to have an energy production law for the month of December," he said.