From Coal to Nuclear: Cordemais Power Plant Repurposed for the EPR2 Program

EDF has decided to abandon its project to convert the Cordemais coal power plant to biomass. Instead, the site will now serve the nuclear industry, through Framatome, to supply equipment for the EPR2 program.

In a statement, EDF announced the cancellation of the Ecocombust project, which aimed to convert the Cordemais coal plant (Loire-Atlantique) into a facility powered by wood pellets. The project did not meet the necessary “technical and economic conditions.” Consequently, coal-powered electricity generation at Cordemais will cease in 2027, marking the end of an era for the plant. EDF also confirmed it would support employees throughout the transition.

EDF now proposes a new future for Cordemais, focusing on nuclear energy. Its subsidiary Framatome plans to establish a manufacturing facility on-site, producing piping for the secondary circuit of future EPR2 nuclear reactors. This project is part of France’s upcoming wave of nuclear reactor construction, reinforcing nuclear power as a key alternative to coal, aimed at ensuring the country’s energy supply while reducing CO2 emissions.

According to the statement: “EDF and Framatome are already carrying out feasibility studies for the plant on this site, and are engaged in dialogue with all the stakeholders concerned. The plant would employ around a hundred staff at the onset, rising to around two hundred at peak operation.”■