French Nuclear Watchdog Says It Faces Serious Budget Shortfall

By Francois de Beaupuy

September 24, 2024 at 10:56AM EDT

Vapor rises from a cooling tower at the Golfech Nuclear Power Plant operated by Electricite de France SA (EDF) in Golfech, France, on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. Europe's largest fleet of nuclear reactors in France and their ability to rebound from a spell of prolonged outages and maintenance is key to the region diversifying its energy supplies in the absence of Russian supplies. Photographer: Matthieu Rondel/Bloomberg (Matthieu Rondel/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- France’s nuclear safety authority, which is in charge of supervising the country’s atomic plants and other facilities using radioactive materials, won’t be able to perform its duties next year if the government persists with insufficient budget plans, the head of the watchdog said.

Preliminary figures point to a €37 million ($41 million) shortfall in the regulator’s operating budget of €150 million for 2025, Bernard Doroszczuk, chairman of Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, said in a Parliamentary hearing in Paris on Tuesday.

“We don’t have the means to operate,” Doroszczuk said in a hearing, during which he defended the planned merger on Jan. 1 of the nuclear safety authority with IRSN, a government advisory body on nuclear safety.

The French government is under pressure to rein in a ballooning budget deficit. It was only formed last weekend — taking over from a caretaker administration following snap legislative elections that resulted in a deeply divided National Assembly, with no party close to a majority.