The Court of Auditors warns of the lack of profitability of the EPR project

In a report published at the beginning of the year, the French State Audit Office (Cour des Comptes) expressed concern about the lack of profitability in the EPR sector, despite the government's announcement in February 2022 of a programme to build three pairs of EPR2 reactors, possibly supplemented by four other pairs. The projected profitability of the EPR2 programme remains unknown at this stage, especially as the financing conditions have not yet been decided. In Great Britain, EDF is facing a considerable increase in the costs and deadlines of the Hinkley Point project, leading it to record a provision of 11.5 billion euros in its accounts. For its part, the Cour des Comptes estimates that the profitability of the Flamanville 3 project will not exceed 2%, assuming an average electricity selling price of €90/MWh in 2023 over the lifetime of the plant.