The Energies 2050 commission, led by Claude Mandil, former head of the International Energy Agency, and energy expert Professor Jacques Percebois, which was constituted last autumn to analyse energy scenarios by 2050, has handed over its report to the French Ministry of Industry and Energy.
The Commission has analysed various scenarios by 2030, comparing their impact on electricity price, GHG emissions and security of supply:
- in the first scenario, accelerating the transition to third generation nuclear reactors would raise the price from €40/MWh to €60/MWh;
- extending the lifespan of existing reactors and investing in their maintenance and security would raise the price to €50/MWh only and preserve competitive assets;
- reducing the share of nuclear generation from 75% to 50% by 2030 would raise the cost to €70/MWh, GHG emissions and energy imports;
- in the fourth scenario, completing the exit from nuclear generation by 2030 would double electricity price, raise energy imports and multiply GHG emissions by 5.
The Commission also issued 8 main recommendations, including energy efficiency promotion, renewable and energy storage promotion, and technical reasons for the closure of nuclear facilities rather than political decisions.