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Questions and Answers about Nuclear Power |
International |
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Contents: France - how is France's electricity so cheap? Finland - costs rise and construction late at new power station America - EU
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How is France's electricity so cheap? France generates 80% of its electricity from nuclear. Electricity prices for consumers are slightly lower than those in other European countries. Why? Could it be because France pays one third of the world price for its uranium, which it buys from its former colony Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world? (1) Could it be because the nuclear industry is owned and very heavily subsidised by the French Government? France has resisted all attempts to liberalise the European electricity market and privatise electricity generation, as has happened in the UK, because if they had to declare (and cut) Government subsidy, French electricity would suddenly become much more expensive. Could it be because the nuclear industry in France is closely linked with the armed forces, since it produces fissile material for the French nuclear arsenal? More to follow, as more research is carried out on this subject. Refs |
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Finland - costs rise and construction late at new power station "....Finland, where the French state-owned nuclear company Areva is building Europe's first new reactor in years, one of a type expected to be chosen for Britain. The Finnish nuclear authority has already found 2,200 "quality deficiencies", the plant is three years behind schedule, and its cost has spiralled to $6.2bn - 50% more than the original estimate. Everyone is blaming everyone else. Now Elfi, a consortium of Finnish industries, calculates that the delays will create an extra $4bn of indirect costs for electricity users." Guardian 4th Feb 2009 |
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