RTE report: government slashes with environmentalists on nuclear power – The HuffPost

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Charles Platiau via Reuters

The Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili photographed in September 2020 at the National Assembly (illustration)

POLICY – Epidermal reactions that confirm that nuclear will be one of the major subjects of this presidential campaign. Since the presentation of the RTE report bearing on the future electric of France Monday, October 25, environmentalists and members of the government are head-on over the conclusions of this long-term work, the Greens criticizing the executive for having a piecemeal reading giving pride of place to nuclear power, thus reinforcing the pre-election announcements of the Head of State.

In detail, the operator of the French electricity network proposes six scenarios that would make it possible to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This ranges from an energy path based on “sobriety” to the development of new nuclear reactors to reconcile carbon and economic performance.

And for the green people, the government has already decided, and not really on the side of sobriety, since it is admitted that Emmanuel Macron wishes to announce the construction of new EPRs. “The presentation of the RTE scenarios turns out to be partial and therefore partial. We, environmentalists, denounce this manipulation of the government. However, any political decision on the future of the French electricity system requires seriousness and transparency ”, tackled in a tweet Yannick Jadot. For the EELV candidate for the presidential election, the government seeks, through this report, to “justify the revival of nuclear power at any cost”. Charges to which the government was quick to respond.

Pompili to Jadot: “We are on the verge of conspiracy”

“I find it completely ashamed that he talks about manipulation, we are on the verge of conspiracy”, retorted this Tuesday, October 26 the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara pompili on France inter. “Someone who is running for president should not behave like that”, she continued, emphasizing the independence of the work carried out. “What he is doing, because this report calls into question his convictions, is to denounce the messenger rather than look at the message, it is very serious”, insisted the minister.

Same tone from government spokesman Gabriel Attal, who found Yannick Jadot’s reaction “insulting”. “We cannot, when we are not happy, because it does not correspond to its dogma, throw away the work that has been done by experts and officials”, he said on Europe 1, criticizing nuclear “ideologies” occurring “in a pre-presidential context”. Replicas, which of course, pass moderately among the ecologists, who claim a seriousness on the subject.

“Yannick Jadot does not question the work of RTE but what the government does with it”, squeaks Matthieu Orphelin on Twitter. The spokesperson for the green candidate adds: “unacceptable not to have a comparative economic analysis of the six RTE scenarios on the sobriety variant. Trying to discredit us by talking about conspiracy is serious ”.

In other words, it is not the recognized seriousness of RTE that is called into question, but the presentation of its work. This is also criticized by Celia Gautier, climate / energy manager at the Nicolas Hulot Foundation. “In fact RTE has chosen (or has been obliged to choose) not to present the economic analysis of sobriety scenarios, which nevertheless constitute real alternatives, thus marginalizing the very possibility of a debate on this point within the society ”, she regrets on Twitter.

See also on Le HuffPost: Electric cars, green hydrogen, carbon-free industry … Macron’s ecological promises for 2030