There is a grave problem in Europe and elsewhere with what to do with the nuclear power plants built in the 1970s and 1980s. As it could be foreseen, the Fessenheim nuclear plants in France will be defintively closed down. In March 2017, Greenpeace and other environmental groups organised protests throughout the country to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, and to demand the closure of nuclear plants in France. In Strasbourg, Alsace,  hundreds of people gathered to demand the closure of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant, which was the first to be built in France back in 1977. They came from France as well as nearby Switzerland and Germany. Previous accidents at the plant have allegedly been downplayed (3). In April 2017, a decree was published announcing the closing down of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant (2). Now, in July 2017, for the first time, the French government has put  an actual number on planned nuclear reactor closures. It’s 17. The estimation was made by Environment Minister, Nicolas Hulot, a former environmental campaigner. While the reduction would achieve the same objective identified by the previous Hollande government — a 50% share from nuclear power, down from 75% by 2025 — it still represents a shift in approach, says Yves Marignac, director of WISE-Paris. “Hulot is the first Minister to come out with a number of reactors to shut down,” wrote Marignac. “Neither Hollande nor any of his prime ministers and environment ministers have ever dared to give such a number.” This reluctance was a tactic, Marignac said, to avoid angering EDF, trade unions and politicians.

The Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant next to the Grand Canal d'Alsace and very near the German border is the oldest in service in France since 1977. Out of the 58 nuclear reactors that France has, 15 of them have crossed the 35-year mark.