France’s nuclear safety authority says it has found no obstacle, for now, to keeping the country’s reactors running beyond 60 years. In a draft opinion published on Thursday, 22 October, the ASNR said EDF’s 57 reactors could keep operating past 60, even up to 80 years, if the company carries out major work. The oldest reactor, unit 2 at Bugey in eastern France, is 48 years old, and nuclear power still provides most of France’s electricity, at 68 percent in 2025.
The regulator stressed there is no legal age limit for reactors. In France, each plant is checked every ten years and can keep running if it meets safety standards. The draft opinion is not an early review or an early extension authorisation for any specific reactor, said ASNR president Pierre-Marie Abadie. It will go through public consultation until 2 December, with a final opinion expected in early 2027.
The ASNR looked at parts that cannot be replaced or are very hard to replace, especially the steel reactor vessels and the concrete containment buildings. It considers EDF’s plans acceptable so far. But it warned that some vessels are more sensitive to ageing, and EDF’s forecasts do not justify running about ten of them up to 80 years. Neither the regulator nor EDF has named the reactors concerned.
The opinion also looks at how reactors vary their output as more solar and wind power comes online. EDF’s first studies find no impact on parts that cannot be replaced, but more flexible operation could mean more maintenance and early replacement of some equipment. On climate change, the ASNR says its projections show no obstacle to running past 60 years, though it notes major uncertainties remain. No reactor in the world has yet operated beyond 60 years.
Reference
Pécout, A. (2026, October 22). L’Autorité de sûreté nucléaire ne voit pas d’obstacle, pour l’heure, à la poursuite du fonctionnement des réacteurs au-delà de 60 ans. Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2026/10/22/l-autorite-de-surete-nucleaire-ne-voit-pas-d-obstacle-pour-l-heure-a-la-poursuite-du-fonctionnement-des-reacteurs-au-dela-de-60-ans_6798652_3244.html