France: ‘It feels like a sci-fi film’ – accidents tarnish nuclear dream

The nuclear site at Bollene sits in a picturesque corner of Provence between the lavender fields and cypress trees that stretch north to the nougat capital of Montelimar and to the historic town of Avignon 30 miles to the south, which was hosting its famous theatre festival when the spillage occurred.

Until now most locals have accepted the plant as a risk-free part of everyday life in nuclear-dependent France. More than 80% of France’s electricity is generated by the country’s 58 nuclear reactors – the world’s highest ratio. But the leak has shaken French trust in nuclear safety and embarrassed Nicolas Sarkozy as he crusades for a French-led world renaissance in atomic power.
The president wants to export French nuclear know-how around the world, including to Britain where nuclear power supplies 19% of electricity, and London and Paris are to cooperate on a new generation of nuclear power plants. Areva, 90% state-owned, is at the heart of foreign cooperation agreements not just with Europe but countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Libya. Last year it clinched the biggest commercial nuclear power contract on record, worth €8bn (