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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. 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