Comment on Green party drops longstanding opposition to nuclear power
tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 4 days agoNot true. The ones they used from the 1960s onwards were phased out by 2009. All were pretty much still in testing mode and never deployed at scale. The Superphenix (the last) was shut down over leaks and safety concerns. France’s nuclear are all now 100% Pressurised Water Reactors.
So misinformation or worse, deliberate disinformation, in this thread.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 days ago
Ok then I’ll change a single letter of my previous comment.
France had used breeder reactors for decades to great effect.
tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 4 days ago
I’d love you to define:
when the reality was they remained small-scale, in testing phase, were dangerous and ultimately scrapped. Next you’ll be waxing lyrically about modular reactors.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
They powered their country for years?
tenebrisnox@feddit.uk 3 days ago
I’ve just checked this for you. France has operated 70 nuclear reactors since 1948. The early ones were test reactors and didn’t produce electricity. The first electricity generating one that worked was built in 1956. France had only had 3 breeder reactors which were decommisioned (they were failures and one of them leaked radioactive material). It has 57 currently operating which are PWRs.
Just to be thoroughly clear: nuclear energy is about 15% of France’s final energy usage (about 70% of its electricity use). France still uses a great amount of fossil fuels and some renewables.