A new law to speed up construction of new nuclear facilities

In a decision no. 2023-851 DC of June 21, 2023, the French Constitutional Council ruled that most of the law adopted to speed up the construction of new nuclear facilities complied with the Constitution. Although certain provisions unrelated to the bill or contrary to the Constitution (cf. article 17) have been removed, the decision handed down by the Constitutional Council largely reassured the legislator, particularly with regard to articles considered as "sensitive". This is the case, for example, of the provisions relating to the recognition of an imperative reason of major public interest (RIIPM), or those concerning the use of a special expropriation procedure with immediate possession of the property (see below).

As the Council of Ministers' press release published on the occasion of the bill's presentation reminds us, the genesis of this text lies in the urgent context of a climate crisis that threatens our ecosystems, our societies and the future of the younger generations, and a crisis of sovereignty and security of energy supply in 2022 following the Ukrainian conflict.

With its objectives of reducing our energy consumption and increasing our decarbonized electricity production capacity, this text completes the projects announced by the Head of State to move away from fossil fuels and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

To this end, it aims to facilitate the development of nuclear energy, with the construction of six EPR2 reactors and the possibility of eight other reactors in two phases:

• setting out a framework for accelerating administrative procedures relating to the construction of future new nuclear power reactors in France, and thus shortening the lead times for these projects, when they are located in the immediate vicinity or within the perimeter of existing nuclear sites;
• to secure certain administrative procedures concerning new nuclear power reactor construction projects, as well as certain existing procedures relating to existing nuclear power reactors.

Four separate packages of measures are planned.

Nuclear Power Generation

The target of reducing the share of nuclear power in the electricity mix to 50% by 2035 has been abolished (C. énergie, art. L. 100-4, 5°, abr.), and the cap on nuclear generation capacity at 63.2 gigawatts has been removed (C. énergie, art. L. 100-5-5, abr.). The ambition here is to propose a new energy planning system, with a revision of the multi-annual energy program (C. énergie, art. L. 141-1).

Speeding Up Procedures for the Construction of New Nuclear Facilities near existing Nuclear Sites

This section sets out a number of derogations that will only apply to the construction of nuclear power reactors, including small modular reactors, in the immediate vicinity or within the perimeter of an existing basic nuclear facility, and for which an application for authorization to build is submitted within 20 years of the law's promulgation.

The law introduces the following provisions:

• The State will directly initiate and steer the procedures for adapting urban planning documents required for the construction of new nuclear reactors;
• Constructions, developments, installations and works linked to the creation of new nuclear reactors are exempt from all formalities under the town planning code;
• Land artificialisation resulting from the construction of new nuclear reactors is not taken into account when assessing the achievement of local or regional targets for reducing the rate of land artificialisation, which are included in planning and urban development documents in application of regulations on land artificialisation;
• In the event of construction of new reactors by the sea, existing town-planning constraints (associated with the application of the "Littoral" law) are waived, provided that these reactors are installed in the immediate vicinity or within the perimeter of an existing basic nuclear facility (INB), and that an application for authorization has been filed within twenty years of the law's promulgation;
• As in the case of certain renewable energy projects, the law stipulates that the construction of a nuclear power reactor meeting the conditions (notably in terms of power and type of technology) defined by decree is considered to constitute an "imperative reason of overriding public interest" (RIIPM) - which thus makes it possible to derogate from the prohibition on harming protected species and their habitats;
• Lastly, a special expropriation procedure is authorized, with the beneficiary of the declaration of public interest taking immediate possession of all built or unbuilt property whose acquisition is necessary for the construction of new nuclear reactors.

The operation of existing basic nuclear installations;

These measures concern existing nuclear facilities, in particular simplifying the periodic review procedure for reactors over 35 years old, and strengthening public participation for these reactors.

Miscellaneous provisions.

This section is more specifically devoted to nuclear safety and security. Safety reports will now have to take into account climate change and its effects. Cybersecurity is also to be better integrated into nuclear safety.

Sources :

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000047715784

https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2023/2023851DC.htm

https://www.vie-publique.fr/loi/286979-relance-du-nucleaire-projet-de-loi-construction-nouveaux-reacteurs

https://www.gouvernement.fr/conseil-des-ministres/compte-rendu-du-conseil-des-ministres-du-02-11-2022#17d399bf-a493-4dce-8824-7b92c6c399df-1

Pour aller plus loin :

Dossier législatif de la loi n° 2023-491 du 22 juin 2023.

A l’agenda du dernier Conseil de Politique Nucléaire (février 2023) : la construction de 6 EPR2, le développement de programmes de petits réacteurs modulaires (SMR) et de réacteurs innovants (AMR), le lancement d’études permettant de préparer la prolongation de la durée de vie des centrales existantes à 60 ans et au-delà.

La Commission nationale du débat public (CNDP) a publié le 26 avril 2023  le compte-rendu du débat public "Du nucléaire demain ? On en parle aujourd'hui". Ce débat, organisé sur quatre mois, s'est concentré sur la question de la participation du public à la gouvernance des projets nucléaires

Relance du nucléaire : Agnès Pannier-Runacher et Roland Lescure ont reçu le rapport du Groupement des Industriels Français de l’Énergie Nucléaire (GIFEN) sur les besoins et capacités industrielles de la filière

Dossier de presse - La stratégie nationale sur les batteries de France 2030 : au cœur de la décarbonation des mobilités

Next steps

If you would like to discuss these updates and how they impact transactions and corporate engineering in more detail please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our Paris Energy & Natural Resources team.

Authored by Laure Nguyen, Pierre-Marie Boya and Julie Paladian.