The first 880 MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant in northeastern France has been stopped and the second 880 MW one will stop operations by the end of June 2020.
The shutdown of Fessenheim, the oldest nuclear power plant in France with two reactors commissioned in 1978, was part of a 2012 presidential election pledge to stop the nuclear power plant by the end of the five-year term (by May 2017) and to cut the share of nuclear power in the French power mix from over 75% currently to 50% by 2025. Delays in the commissioning of the 1,650 MW Flamanville nuclear power project prompted authorities to postpone the Fessenheim shutdown to coincide with the EPR startup (now expected in late 2022 at the earliest). The 50% nuclear cap has been postponed to 2035 under the new energy and climate act on carbon neutrality by 2050. Coal-fired power plants will be closed by 2022 (possible limited generation until 2026).
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