La grande armee en marche

Nuclear power has faltered in the United Kingdom and in the United States and indeed in most countries except France which has a nuclear generating capacity sufficient to allow it to export 42 TWh in 1989. The aim is to export 100 TWh in 10-15 years time, about 25% of French capacity. Electricite de France (EdF) seems to have answers to all the problems which have damaged nuclear power in other countries and can generate cheap electricity. Provision has been made for maintenance and decommissioning work and the external debt, although high is not the highest in the world. Research and development is being carried out in void fraction mapping technology and a real-time simulator is being developed. Public opposition has been overcome by providing local services and cheap electricity. The only problems arise because it is difficult to load-follow with nuclear generation. EdF plans to continue to generate excess electricity and export it, providing 5% of the total European market in the future. (author)