Politics
France Closing Its Oldest Nuclear Plant Spurs Debate on Energy
Scaling back units that provide a steady electricity is likely to boost reliance on polluting fossil fuels.
Photographer: Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images
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France’s decision to shut its oldest nuclear reactor is stirring controversy about whether President Emmanuel Macron is making the right decisions to reduce fossil fuel pollution and meet climate targets.
The closure of a 43-year-old unit in Fessenheim on Saturday takes out of service just one of France’s 58 reactors. Macron is encouraging wind and solar farms to play a bigger role in the future, promising to shut more atomic plants toward the end of this decade when they reach a half century in service.