Nuclear power stations and air quality improvement

In order to overcome the oil crisis of the 70s, E.D.F. undertook a large nuclear program for substituting its conventional thermal power plants. This policy resulted in a significant improvement of air quality. As a matter of fact, E.D.F. pollutant emissions (SO2, NOx, particulates) had been divided by 10 since 1980. E.D.F. contribution to french national SO2 emission decrease rose to 25%. This performance was carried out without adding any particular devices to purify fossil-fired power plant flue gases, which would have resulted in a high solid waste discharge (gypsum) and unavoidable pollutant emissions, like CO2, responsible of the greenhouse effect