PARIS, September 5 (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron responded strongly on Monday to criticism aimed at him over the maintenance of France’s nuclear fleet, targeting his political opponents and, without naming him, the president of EDF Jean-Bernard Lévy called to be replaced soon. .
While 31 of the 56 French nuclear reactors are shut down for maintenance operations or corrosion problems, Emmanuel Macron has denied having misjudged this file during his first five-year term.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that the people who had the responsibility for the maintenance work of the installed base can explain today that we have not taken our responsibilities,” he said during a press conference. at the Elysee.
“From the first months of my first mandate, we restored visibility to the sector by explaining that we were going to shift the objectives that were initially planned by 10 years, by restoring confidence in the sector, by giving objectives, the major refit work has been decided and the investments in training for the company have been made, so everyone, in their place, must take their responsibilities. For my part, I have taken them”, he continued.
Emmanuel Macron was addressing in particular the outgoing president of EDF Jean-Bernard Lévy, who had himself criticized without naming him the head of state last week.
“Why don’t we have enough trained teams? Because we were told that ‘the nuclear fleet will decline, get ready to close plants'”, he said during a table round at the Meetings of French Entrepreneurs (REF) of the Medef. “We didn’t hire people to build twelve, we hired to close twelve.”
“UNACCEPTABLE”, “IRRESPONSIBLE”
The Head of State for his part declared that the maintenance work of the French nuclear fleet had never been conditioned on the construction of new reactors – which the sector had been demanding for years when he committed to it at the beginning of 2022. -, responding in fact to the arguments of Jean-Bernard Lévy: “What I have heard in the public debate in recent weeks is unacceptable because it is false and irresponsible”, he said.
Emmanuel Macron also justified the closure of Fessenheim, the oldest plant in the tricolor nuclear fleet, defending a “rational decision”, resulting from a “factual analysis”.
Asked about the appointment of the new CEO of EDF, the chairman replied: “It will be done in good order, there is work being carried out by the State Participations Agency, in conjunction with the ministers who have guardianship, and applications will be submitted to me to be able to make decisions.”
The State and Jean-Bernard Lévy took the joint decision in early July to launch the process of succession of the latter at the head of the group, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, evoking the horizon of ” the start of the school year”. (Report Elizabeth Pineau with the contribution of Benjamin Mallet)