While neighboring Germany backs off its use of nuclear power, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that his country will invest 1 billion euros ($1.43 billion) in the technology in coming years.
That funding includes a substantial portion for fourth-generation reactor development. He also promised further funding for nuclear safety research and 1.3 billion euros ($1.86 billion) for renewable energy research.
France derives nearly three quarters of its electrical generation from 58 reactors, and French firms Areva and EDF do substantial business developing nuclear facilities abroad. At a press conference Monday, Sarkozy told international media that recent moratoriums on new reactors adopted in countries that include Italy and Switzerland following Japan's Fukushima Daiichi crisis “make no sense.”