France To Shut-Down Zero-Carbon Energy Plants, Says Ecology Minister Hulot
via The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF)
http://www.thegwpf.com
French environment and energy minister Nicolas Hulot said on Monday that the government plans to close some nuclear reactors of state-controlled utility EDF to reduce nuclear’s share of the country’s power mix.
He gave no indication of timing.
Hulot told reporters at the G7 environment summit in the Italian city of Bologna that it was too early to give numbers about France’s aim to reduce the share of nuclear in its power generation to 50 percent from the current 75 percent.
“We are going to close some nuclear reactors and it won’t be just a symbolic move,” he said.
EDF shares, which were down 0.8 percent before Hulot’s comments, immediately fell further to stand 2.2 percent lower.
Asked about the possibility of introducing a carbon tax, Hulot said “France already has a carbon tax which we increase every year. At an EU level we want to increase the threshold,” he said.
Hulot’s predecessor as environment minister, Segolene Royal, said in May last year that France would unilaterally introduce a carbon price floor of about 30 euros ($33) a tonne with a view to kick-start broader European action to cut emissions and drive forward the December 2015 United Nations-led international climate accord.
However, the socialist government quietly dropped that plan towards the end of last year as unions protested that it would lead to coal plant closures.
via The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF) http://www.thegwpf.com
June 12, 2017 at 12:22AM
