COP 29 has just ended in the capital of Azerbaijan in Baku. In this city which grew up with oil, the major nations have failed to reach an agreement to put an end to the exploitation of fossil energy (coal, gas and oil).
They are used in particular to produce electricity (and more generally energy). But in France, we have a completely different model for producing our electricity, at low cost, and without (too much) polluting the planet: nuclear power.
If the Chernobyl accident, and more recently that of Fukushima, reminds us that nuclear power is not without risk, France is banking more and more on this energy, and new reactors could well see the light of day in the coming years.
If the ITER project north of Marseille is a jewel that the world envies, France (with its France 2030 financing plan) is also banking on SMR (Small Modular Reactor) and AMR (Advanced Modular Reactor).
Microreactors: the future of nuclear power
Behind these six letters, there are 11 projects, start-ups, which have received funding from the State to accelerate their development. On paper, start-ups had to share a billion euros between themultimately the State has so far only signed a check for 130 million. The rest has to wait, while the initial enthusiasm is slowly fading.
While a nuclear policy council was planned for December, it appears to have been postponed until early next year. For its part, the executive is taking advantage of these few months of respite to “sort” between projects.
Financing still in question
At a time of economic sobriety, Paris does not want to finance fanciful plans and only the most mature projects will receive the second wave of financing. The most “disruptive” projects logically feel in the hot seat and the clarifications provided by Matignon to our colleagues at Les Échos are not really there to reassure them.
On the one hand, we assure that all projects will be listened to and that “funnel logic” does not necessarily mean the end of “projects based on disruptive innovations.” » But on the other hand, the entrepreneurs behind these companies know well that a big “sorting” will be done on the 11 projects already in the running.
For a start-up founder, interviewed by Les Échos, for the moment, the government plays “fan school” by rewarding all projects. During an oral restitution made this month, many would have received praise from Paris, without conditions of results.
Fundraising stops
But this political imbroglio has other, much more concrete, consequences. French companies, awaiting the Matignon verdict, are increasingly being refused support from private investors. What fund would want to take the risk of supporting a project that could be disavowed in a few weeks by the executive?
Faced with this double discourse “no one will be abandoned” but “we will sort it out”, nuclear companies are standing still. While France has been a pioneer on the subject of nuclear power since its introduction in the 1970s, it could lose this lead at a time when low-carbon energies are gaining importance.
