InfoAnda - Analysis:French opinion shifts but a nuclear exit would be tough |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Water project adds to Taiwan leader's typhoon woes | 23 August 2009
Army captures Pakistani Taliban leader's hometown | 24 October 2009
US consumer spending ticks up amid income jump | 27 June 2009

ETA says ready to go further for peace: report | 19 September 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Analysis:French opinion shifts but a nuclear exit would be tough |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our top photos from the past 24 hours. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read U.S. caught China buying more debt than disclosed 8:54am EDT Putin says Russian 2012 election will be dirty 8:34am EDT Visa, MasterCard "more investable" after new fee rules 8:44am EDT Analysis: Obama's jobs plan aimed at voters, not debt talks 10:46am EDT Analysts upbeat on Visa, MasterCard after new card fee 7:07am EDT Discussed 114 Fragile economy pushed Obama to tap oil reserves 99 Top Republicans insist no taxes in debt deal 66 U.S. cost of war at least $3.7 trillion and counting Watched A Tokyo-Paris flight in under three hours on the horizon Fri, Jun 24 2011 Austerity vote passed amid violent Greek protests Wed, Jun 29 2011 New report delves into the costs of war Wed, Jun 29 2011 Analysis:French opinion shifts but a nuclear exit would be tough Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Greece passes austerity bill after trouble-free vote 11:39am EDT Russia: arming Libya rebels is "crude violation" 10:50am EDT Prospects improve Greek austerity plan will pass Tue, Jun 28 2011 Lagarde wins IMF top job, presses Greece on crisis Tue, Jun 28 2011 Japan utility gets to keep nuclear reactors despite Tue, Jun 28 2011 Analysis & Opinion Getting enthused about Aspen Thailand in July? Related Topics World » France » Nuclear Power » By Muriel Boselli PARIS | Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:16am EDT PARIS (Reuters) - France may be forced to rethink its overwhelming dependence on nuclear energy as once solid public support starts to melt away one year before a presidential election. After Fukushima and Germany's quick decision to quit nuclear the ruling UMP party repeated its commitment to the carbon-free energy, which France relies on to meet three quarters of its electricity. A poll published earlier this month showed that three quarters of those interviewed wanted to exit nuclear energy, against 22 percent who back the nuclear expansion program, a stark contrast with pre-Fukushima polls. "One can see in the results of polls carried out recently that the German precedent is making its way through public opinion in France," said Emmanuel Fages, head of CO2, gas coal and power at the Societe Generale. The change would probably allow some healthy diversification in the French energy mix, by weakening the strong industrial pro-nuclear lobby in the eyes of policy-makers, he said. "The position to nuclear is nowhere as passionate than in Germany," Fages said. "But an increasing share of people while not rejecting the technology, now think it is possible to exit it -- eventually." France first opted for a full blown nuclear energy program with minimal public debate after the first oil crisis in 1974 and continued to support nuclear power even after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Its deep dependence on nuclear makes a dramatic German-style volte-face a massive task. "Anything is possible but France is coming from such a broad nuclear base that it would be an incredibly bold move if they did," one London-based power trader said. "They would have to build a lot of gas-fired power plants very quickly," he added. Gas is the only viable option to replace nuclear as wind or solar power capacity needs to be backed up for periods of unfavorable weather. France currently uses gas for only 5.4 percent of its power. Fossil fuels produce 11 percent and renewables 15 percent, with hydropower taking the biggest slice of the latter. French public opinion could also shift again when it becomes clear that the loss of nuclear would result in higher electricity bills. "The question on whether the French would support an exit to nuclear power with bills 20 percent higher is not being asked," one analyst said. French electricity prices, which are set by the government, are among the lowest in Europe, partly because of nuclear power. POLITICAL BATTLE LINES With a May 2012 presidential election approaching fast, the debate on nuclear energy promises to heat up. "There will be a bloody debate on nuclear between now and the presidential elections with a divided left party and a right party not fully united on the issue," said Jean-Marie Chevalier, head of Paris Dauphine University's geopolitical energy center. While the center right UMP party mostly supports the extension of the nuclear program, the opposing socialist party has called for a moratorium on new reactors and promised a national debate on energy transition if elected in 2012. France's left-leaning green party, Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, which supports an exit from nuclear power, has warned it would not ally with the socialist party if it did not clearly favor an end to nuclear power. The Greens want a nuclear exit in 20 years so by 2032 and the immediate closure of all the reactors older than 30 years. The Socialists are leading in early polls and a victory could bring a break with the steadfast support the nuclear program has enjoyed from both right-wing and left-wing governments for the past 40 years. QUESTION MARK ON FESSENHEIM In the short-term though, French politicians see the German move as positive because it will boost power exports and will help France close its competitiveness gap with Germany. Since the start of the year French power exports to Germany have increased by 54 percent and imports dived by 45 percent, French energy Eric Besson said earlier this month. "In the short-term you might think that the German decision will benefit French utilities as it is already obvious that the idling of 8,400 MW nuclear plants is leading to more power imports from France," Fages added. The German decision would probably also likely push France to permanently shut down Fessenheim, its oldest nuclear plant located close to German border, analysts said. France's nuclear watchdog (ASN) said Thursday it would decide at the start of July on whether to extend the lifespan of the Fessenheim 1 reactor. Analysts also said the missing German nuclear capacity may be an issue for France this summer and next winter when demand for electricity peaks. While France is a net power exporter, it relies heavily on German imports, which totaled 3 percent of France's 2010 use. "It's key that the German decision leads to an acceleration of interconnector works at a European level so that we can make supplies more fluid and put in common production tools," Chevalier added. (Reporting by Muriel Boselli; Editing by William Hardy) World France Nuclear Power Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 30 June 2011
Myanmar government warns Suu Kyi on planned tour |
Greek police battle rioters as austerity bill passed |
Trial Opens of New Orleans Police Officers Charged in the Danziger Bridge Shootings
California state lawmakers pass budget with deep cuts
North, south Sudan agree on demilitarized border zone |
Toyota voluntarily recalling 2006, 2007 Highlander Hybrid and Lexus Rx 400h
North Irish militants forcing police from their homes |
Lindsay Lohan finishes house arrest sentence
Pat Cantlay may be the most intriguing golfer in AT&T field
Obama welcomes same-sex marriage in New York
Online labor demand down nearly 100K in June
Obama asks Congress to cancel vacations, deal with challenges
Mexico appeals to Supreme Court to spare citizen from death penalty
Bangladesh plans moves to get off human trafficking watch list
News Corp to sell Myspace for $35 million: source |
LivingSocial moving ahead with $1 billion IPO: report |
Vulnerabilities found in Google Chrome PC security |
Lindsay Lohan ends home detention after 35 days |
Second Greek vote expected to pass amid protest anger |
Egypt police clash with youths; over 1,000 hurt |
Exclusive: U.S. to resume formal Muslim Brotherhood contacts |
Hot-hitting Mets score 16 runs to survive slugfest with Tigers
Newsmaker: South Sudan president steers nation to independence |
Chinese Mongolians protest again, herders beaten: rights group |
Yunel Escobar comes through as Blue Jays rally past Pirates
Analysis: A Thaksinomics renaissance in Thailand |
Kim cancelled Russia trip on security worry: report |
Thunder extend veteran center Nazr Mohammed's deal
Magnitude 5.4 quake hits central Japan, 7 injured |
Notre Dame wideout Floyd gets probation after guilty plea for drunk driving
Dave Hutsell wins 44th PGA club pro championship
New doubts raised on Saleh's return |
Hot-hitting Mets storm to 8-2 fifth inning advantage over Tigers
Indians jump out to early lead, take rubber-game from Diamondbacks
Women's World Cup: Rosana's goal launches Brazilians over Aussies
Joe Rogan to return for "Fear Factor" re-boot
Scott Baker tossed 7 1-3 scoreless frames as Twins blank Dodgers
Amazon protests California Web-sales tax plan |
Samsung asks U.S. to ban iPad, iPhone imports |
Dell to keep up acquisitions, sustain margin growth |
Transformers debut ticket sales top $13 million |
David Duchovny and wife Tea Leoni separate again |
Man gets two years for Paris Hilton burglary attempt |
Author James Patterson eyes movies, kids reading |
New Yorkers get fresh look at Ai Weiwei's art |
NATO air strike kills fighter linked to Afghan hotel attack |
Russia: arming Libya rebels is crude violation |
U.N.-backed court delivers Hariri killing indictments |
UK teachers, civil servants strike over pensions |
College tuition data released for first time
Some states still leave low-income students behind; others make surprising gains
Brotherhood gets out Muslim message with movies
Denise Richards adopts baby girl
Sarkozy involved in scuffle during handshake tour |
Firefighters hopeful about wild fire burning near Los Alamos lab
Myanmar's Suu Kyi to plans first trip since release |
Moroccan voters asked to approve reforms
Still waiting for an anti-human trafficking law
Analysis:French opinion shifts but a nuclear exit would be tough |
Javier Colon wins first season of 'The Voice'
Cultural mainstreaming leaves MSM at high HIV risk
Satellite data to help farmers with micro-climates
DealTalk: Private equity scours Hewlett-Packard for cracks |
Skype introduces video calling for Android phones |
LightSquared submits GPS report to FCC |
HMV to refocus on gadgets as profits slump |
Global tech spend to jump 7.1 percent in 2011: Gartner |
Vodafone CFO sees $5.5 billion dividend from Verizon |
Harry Potter to cast final spell with eighth, last film |
Forgotten Chaplin film fails to find buyer at auction |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01