No Shale For Us - We Prefer Nuclear

Opponents of shale gas development in Europe are pointing to the recent decision by French legislators to prohibit hydraulic fracturing as an indicator of a tide rising.

However, France has its own unique dynamics in the energy marketplace, making it decision to turns away from shale gas expected.

France is a nuclear nation: Since 1980, the French government has made nuclear electricity generation a policy priority,

Nuclear power is the France’s primary source of energy, generating gets more than 75 percent of the country’s electrical needs from atomic power at an electricity cost amongst the lowest in Europe.

The country has been heavily involved in development of a new generation of nuclear power and its technical expertise is a source of pride. French technology has been exported and is operational in South Africa, South Korea and Peoples' Republic of China, and it continues to pursue export opportunities.

France is also the world's largest net exporter of (primarily nuclear) electric power, exporting 18% of its total production to Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Britain, and Germany.

The French government is the main shareholder of the nuclear technology company Aveva and Électricité de France manages the country's 59 nuclear power plants.

As such, shale gas represented a potential competitive threat to a well entrenched, politically connected nuclear industry.

It has been widely reported that the nuclear lobby, together with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, played a significant role in pressing for the a ban on unconventional resource development.

As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk commented, “ I already know who is lobbying against the extraction of shale gas. Please don’t tell me its Europe. There are people, institutions, interests which also manage to create effective lobbying in Europe.”

Source: wikipedia