Is France set to backtrack on its nuclear promises?

During his successful 2012 presidential election campaign François Hollande, courting the support of the 'Europe-Ecologie-les-Verts' (EELV) grouping of Green parties, pledged to find ways to reduce France’s reliance on atomic energy.

However, France’s Minister for Industrial Renewal Arnaud Montebourg said on the 26 August 2012 that nuclear energy was 'an industry of the future' sparking discord with the government’s Green allies.

France is the most nuclear-dependent country in the world, with 75% of its energy coming from nuclear. In a deal with the Greens before the 2012 elections, Socialists promised to reduce the share of nuclear in French electricity production to 50% by 2025, shutting 24 nuclear reactors. But so far, only one of France's 59 nuclear reactors, at Fessenheim in eastern France, is due to be decommissioned.

Wikipedia: Nuclear power in France http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France

The Guardian, 28.8.12: Nuclear row splits French government http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/28/nuclear-row-splits-french-government?newsfeed=true

World Nuclear Association: Country Briefings: Nuclear Power in France http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf40.html

EurActiv, 26.03.14: French nuclear sector steps up global expansion plans http://www.euractiv.com/sections/energy/french-nuclear-sector-steps-global-expansion-plans-301154

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