Originally posted by googlefudge
France has the cheapest energy in Europe, and it's almost all Nuclear. It's reliable and green, and takes up very little space.

I must also caution that almost all energy is subsidized in some way, so it would be important to know just how much France subsidised their nuclear industry.

Originally posted by twhitehead
I must also caution that almost all energy is subsidized in some way, so it would be important to know just how much France subsidised their nuclear industry.

What is more, in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis, they decided to develop a completely independent nuclear deterrent - unlike Britain's approach of just making sure the Americans knew we could if we wanted to. A major consideration in their domestic nuclear policy was to provide plutonium for bombs. This was why they built the nuclear barbecue at Windscale.