Electricity imports hit France's energy autonomy

France has for decades been fiercely proud of its world-beating nuclear industry but is now having to import electricity from its neighbours and could face blackouts this winter.

News of the imports prompted the environmental group Greenpeace to say Wednesday that this was further proof that France’s policy of producing three quarters of its electricity from nuclear power was a big mistake.

France decided after the 1970s oil crises to rapidly expand its nuclear power capacity in order to build up reliable energy supplies, and has long exported power to its neighbours.

But ever-rising demand for electricity combined with ageing nuclear reactors have brought that policy under increasing scrutiny.

A third of France’s 58 nuclear reactors were down and one was operating at 60 percent capacity at the start of November, according to an AFP survey.

AFP