• Podcast: What should be the target time to build a nuclear plant? • In an interview for theWorld Nuclear Newspodcast, Aubarbier also covered the progress of the French EPR2 programme, how regulation differs in different countries, and the French multinational engineering giant’s work in the fusion sector. • You can listen to the full interview above, or via all good podcast platforms. • Here is an edited selection of key quotes. • On funding for new nuclear: The funding of a new nuclear programme is like buying an apartment. • If you are seen as a good party, and your ability to pay back the money is high, the risk factor taken into account by the bank will mean you get a better interest rate than others.
Article Summaries:
- In a World Nuclear News podcast, French nuclear expert Aubarbier outlined the financial and scheduling logic behind new nuclear projects. He compared funding a nuclear programme to buying an apartment: proven technology, government backing, and a short loan term lower interest rates and reduce the cost per megawatt‑hour. Aubarbier says the ideal build‑time for a proven plant is about 36 months to start construction and roughly 60 months to complete, giving a total of 100-140 months (8-12 years). For France’s EPR2 programme, the construction target is 70-75 months. He stresses that demonstrating secure, timely delivery is key to attracting financing across the 13-14 global programmes he follows.
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