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Nope, they are NOT being built. Quite a few coal-fired plants are announced as plans, but as I noted to Martin, quite a few of those have already been cancelled, with the excuse of too high costs, planning problems, or local protests.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:22:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
In other words, those plants mentioned in your one-year-old article are market share maintaining wet dreams. I counted six cancellations/indefinite delays just in the timespan since that linked article was published.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:24:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, good.

They're not mothballing nuclear plants like the Greens were havign them do either though, right?

Think how much more energy independant Europe would be if the rest of you left AREVA build a bunch more for you. I bet they give volume discounts.

by redstar on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:29:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
They're not mothballing nuclear plants like the Greens were havign them do either though, right?

Nope. Two have been mothballed so far (one in 2003, one in 2005), four more are due by 2009.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:36:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Speaking of energy independence, with 100% imported fuel, nuclear is none.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:37:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Not true. There are deposits in the EU. I believe both Spain and Portugal, Portugal for sure.
by redstar on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:44:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There are deposits in a few other places too, but all of them aren't mined. (I don't wonder why.)

I still prefer renewables for energy independence. (On which front in Germany, solar cells are becoming a serious contributor alongside wind - another 1100 MW added last year, with further growth possible now that the silicon production bottleneck was solved.)

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:51:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Don't get me wrong, I do too.
by redstar on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:09:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
and also, you should have your local politicians contact Jerome for wind farm construction advice too while they're at it.
by redstar on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 02:41:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]
In Libé, le Figaro and Le Monde this morning:


The 4 biggest French energy companies publicly supporting wind power and saying they will continue to diversify their sources and invest in that sector.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (jeromeguillet@yahoo.fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:14:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's beautiful.

I also find this picture a picture of progress itself, and the modern windmill is really quite beautiful itself as well.

by redstar on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:20:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]
And the best part is that this isn't a photo-montage: this must be one of the two wind farms (with identical wind turbine type) directly adjacent to the TGV Atlantique South of Chartres which I saw last year.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Wed Jun 4th, 2008 at 04:13:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Isn't Areva still larger than Poweo ? (Or maybe it doesn't count as an energy company. Or maybe it doesn't do wind, possibly.)

Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 05:55:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Areva isn't a utility, is it?

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 05:56:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

and also, you should have your local politicians contact Jerome for wind farm construction advice too while they're at it.

Quick bit of history needed here.  Germany has already installed some 22,000 MWs of windpower, and German developers have installed many more thousands around the world.  While France's current growth and program are admirable, as far as skill and infrastructure go, they're not yet in the Bundesliga.

In fact, if the comment was addressed to DoDo, there are already German companies with subsidiaries in Hungary developing projects, and every other new Euro country as well.  Of course they use local people, and are training them.  Part of the German Brand:

Renewables: Made in Germany

Skennah Kowa

by Crazy Horse on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 03:56:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Germany is at 1,400 MW per year, and France at 800-1,000 MW. Of course, almost nothing is manufactured in France.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (jeromeguillet@yahoo.fr) on Tue Jun 3rd, 2008 at 05:44:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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