PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday the country will decide around 2022 whether state-owned utility EDF will be allowed to build new nuclear reactors.
In November, Macron said France would reduce the share of nuclear in the power mix to 50 percent by 2035, down from 75 percent today, and said that a decision on whether to build new nuclear plants would be taken mid-2021.
Because of repeated delays and budget overruns of EDF's EPR reactor model under construction in Flamanville, northern France, Macron's government has not yet committed to building new reactors once old reactors close.
"We will decide around 2022 about what France does with the new generation of EPRs, depending on the outcome of studies and any progress made," Macron said during a debate with young people in the Saone-et-Loire region.
(Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Writing by Geert De Clercq; editing by John Irish)
