{"id":6878,"date":"2025-11-10T10:09:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ametragroup.com\/2025\/11\/10\/supporting-the-nuclear-revival-rigour-expertise-and-proximity\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T14:55:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:55:33","slug":"supporting-the-nuclear-revival-rigour-expertise-and-proximity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ametragroup.com\/en\/supporting-the-nuclear-revival-rigour-expertise-and-proximity\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting the nuclear revival: rigour, expertise, and proximity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cReviving nuclear power is not about reinventing the wheel: it is about replicating what works, with safety as the foremost principle\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

An unprecedented context of industrial revival<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

On February 10, 2022, in Belfort, President Emmanuel Macron announced the construction of six EPR2 reactors<\/a> and the study of eight additional units.<\/p>\n\n

This speech, part of the national strategy for reindustrialization and energy sovereignty, marked the turning point for a sector that had been dormant for several decades.<\/p>\n\n

With the exception of the Flamanville 3<\/a> project, launched in 2007 and entering the final commissioning phase in 2024 after more than ten years of delays, France had not built a new reactor since the late 1990s.<\/p>\n\n

As a result, industrial and technical know-how has diminished, a direct consequence of decades of low activity and underinvestment in the sector.<\/p>\n\n

Parliamentary reports (Senate\/OPECST,<\/a> Court of Auditors<\/a>) have confirmed this loss of skills linked to low activity and the decline in the number of specialized nuclear engineers being trained.<\/p>\n\n

The example of the Melox<\/a> plant (Gard), operated by Orano and dedicated to manufacturing MOX<\/a> fuel, has become emblematic: the company acknowledged the need to rebuild capabilities<\/strong> for certain critical operations.<\/p>\n\n

More broadly, the winter of 2022\u20132023 acted as a wake-up call: up to 32 of 56 reactors were shut down, revealing the vulnerability of an ageing fleet and the urgent need to revive the sector to ensure national energy autonomy.<\/p>\n\n

This revival goes beyond the construction of EPR2 units alone: it involves the entire value chain, from the fuel cycle<\/strong> to maintenance<\/strong>, including training<\/strong> and the ramp-up of subcontractors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Mastering what exists rather than innovating at any cost<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Today, industrial players share the same conviction: it is better to replicate perfectly than to try at all costs to reinvent<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

In a sector where safety is paramount, innovation only makes sense if it is controlled.<\/p>\n\n

The EPR2<\/strong> project illustrates this well: it simplifies and improves the reliability of the original EPR design, whose complexity had generated considerable cost overruns and delays.<\/p>\n\n

At present, Ametra Group\u2019s clients expect our experts to be able to replicate what works, without taking unnecessary risks. The challenge is rigour: zero surprises, zero drift<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Sustainability-Resilience, Aval du futur\u2026: the major nuclear programmes currently underway<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

The French revival is now structured around several major programmes:<\/p>\n\n