''France, with its plethora of nuclear reactors, would explain...

''France, with its plethora of nuclear reactors, would explain ...''

France's plethora of nuclear reactors as you say and the current situation - tells you a very clear story - which Duddo seems to think others won't notice

Even France would be right up against the wall if it wanted to build another 7 plants on top of it's commitments atm --------- the skills shortages are so severe

and France started it's nuclear journey in the 1940's ------- Australia - hasn't even begun.

''Based on the current nuclear workforce situation in France, building 7 new nuclear reactors would be extremely challenging and likely not feasible in the short term. Here's why:
1. Workforce shortage: The French nuclear industry is facing a significant shortage of skilled workers. The sector needs to recruit about 10,000 people every year for the next 10 years to meet its current needs and replace retiring workers[2]. This existing shortage would make it difficult to staff additional large-scale projects.
2. Specialized skills gap: There is a particular shortage of specialized workers like nuclear welders. France is currently short of about 1,000 welders specifically for the nuclear industry[3]. These highly skilled positions are crucial for reactor construction and maintenance.
3. Training bottleneck: While efforts are being made to train new workers, such as the creation of the Hefais school to train up to 200 welders a year by 2023, the pace of training is not sufficient to meet even current demands, let alone the needs of additional reactor projects[3].
4. Recent industry challenges: The French nuclear sector has faced recent difficulties, including maintenance issues and corrosion problems in existing reactors. These issues have strained the current workforce and resources[4].
5. Long-term underinvestment: Years of underinvestment in nuclear skills and negative government signaling about the future of nuclear energy have contributed to the current workforce shortage[4].
6. Competition for resources: France has already announced plans to build six new reactors, with the possibility of eight more[5]. These existing plans will already put significant pressure on the available workforce and resources.
Given these factors, while France has the technical capability and experience to build new reactors, the current workforce situation would make it extremely difficult to undertake 7 additional reactor projects without first addressing the significant skills shortage and training needs in the nuclear sector. A substantial increase in training programs, recruitment efforts, and industry investment would be necessary before such an ambitious expansion could be realistically considered.

[1] https://www.orano.group/en/unpacking-nuclear/nuclear-energy-france-s-3rd-largest-industrial-sector
[2] https://www.euronuclear.org/news/pr...ill-the-nuclear-of-the-future-cope-with-them/
[3] https://merca.team/en/la-crise-du-soudeur-nucleaire-en-2024/
[4] https://www.catf.us/2023/07/2022-french-nuclear-outages-lessons-nuclear-energy-europe/
[5] https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/france