Residents here enjoy the sun sea and sand seemingly unperturbed by the Nuclear Power plant in the distance. We moved into it now were used to it. Asleep the its not been there for ages. The factory there was built in 1964. Full of Nuclear Plants been there since the 1970 s. So were used to it but you. Also show naval base nearby the village where theres nuclear vessels. Its normal for us and its part of our culture mood q. Q. Nuclear power is part of french culture why are the french so blase about it opposite the film on the plant is another local landmark the nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. For many the french love affair with Nuclear Power is hard to fathom here on the Atlantic Coast in northern france we began a journey through the country on a quest to get to the bottom of it it took us almost a year to secure all the filming permits we needed to we had to pass through strict security controls and wear special protective clothing we were repeatedly assured that it was all perfectly safe. 58 Nuclear Power plants are in operation in france more than in any other european country worldwide only the us has more in france theyre all run by the state controlled Power Company e. D. F. In lug plutonium is also extracted from the spent nuclear fuel the plant is operated by all run no press officer going to ma showed us the cooling ponds where the spent fuel rods are stored while theyre still radioactive. Food is on the street these days all Industries Need to recycle the plastics industry the Paper Industry the Metal Industry but even now given the challenges of todays changing climate its out of the question not to recycle spent material but what if we see recycling as our social and environmental responsibility that while many of you one more thought. But not. All the waste can be recycled. Explained how some nonrecyclable radioactive waste is compact it into sealed metal containers that are kept underground. If. At the end of a long corridor we pass through a number of heavy high security doors. Frances Nuclear Waste is stored here in this cavernous home neither france nor germany have found Optimal Solutions and suitable locations for the storage of radioactive waste. Yes he strives that ending here on 2 shafts underground is the equivalent of enough electricity for 1000000. 00 people in france for a year even on the put it was shown to be close to the. I mean dont guess on all fronts and i believe its important to demonstrate and we do so daily that in france at least Nuclear Power is safe all 4 of them im proud to work in this industry and the destructor if you feel the plaintiff at the least. Despite the stringent safety regulations we have our doubts about safety. And when we were checked for radioactive contamination we were shocked when we set off the warning light. Going to look to alarm to a 2nd check showed it was a false alarm. Relief all around. Our equipment was checked as well. To vast Nuclear Power sites in close proximity but few seem to be bothered. This small group however is concerned they may hear on the coast where waste water from the reprocessing facility flows into the ocean from a pipeline the group regularly collect samples of sand mussels moss and algae. They say. And the samples to an laboratory to be analyzed. Of it that we check for limpets aquatic snails you find all over the beaches of the money they absorb radioactive elements such as cesium 137. 00 and iodine 129. 00 thats off the. Laboratory conducted Sample Analysis in the wake of the Fukushima Nuclear disaster. We had to wait to find out if the samples from the beach in northern france are contaminated or not. 900 kilometers away infection haing on the french german border is another Nuclear Power plant the oldest in france its just 20 kilometers away from the city of fribourg. French activists d. D. A. No queues meets up on a regular basis with opponents to Nuclear Power in germany in the 1980 s. The churn noble disaster in what was then the soviet union changed his opinion about Nuclear Power back then a French Meteorological Service had said there was no cause for concern at all but about the it wasnt didnt youll forget its the announcer explained that a radioactive cloud was moving through europe but he went on to say that it stopped at the French Border unlike the rest of europe he stated the country was protected by a High Pressure front. For the month of may of these of mouthpiece that report devastated me i just couldnt believe that the news would go that far but it was such a blatant manipulation of the facts enough of a manipulation of the public when money and plenty of people allowed themselves to be manipulated or thats the saddest thing about it is the thought which the. D. D. A. No queues is not the only person we met who suggests that official information isnt reliable. We headed next into central france and the picturesque valley its home to some 400 renaissance. Antos part of the area is a unesco World Heritage site but the region is also home to the highest density of Nuclear Power plants in the country 17 in all. Again we were struck by the public indifferent. After the 2nd world war president Charles De Gaulle was keen to make france selfreliant and became an enthusiastic advocate of Nuclear Power for both military and civilian use he wanted friends to be a world leader in Atomic Energy and saw it as key to the countrys status on the world must. Build in the late 1950 s. The she no Nuclear Power plant is affectionately known as love it once served military purposes and stands right in the middle of wine growing country for years who daughter full fall has been trying in vain to get the name of the plant changed so it doesnt have the same name as his wine. With a deal for. All we want is to stop the media making false associations thats our main objective. We have completely different values. As a wine for the power plant produces electricity and basically all wine growing areas in france are close to a Nuclear Power plant. But we share a name with the one near us. And we want to avoid being dragged into a controversy thats nothing to do with us and didnt break. Through fall isnt actually an opponent of Nuclear Energy he just doesnt want his wind to be associated with it and he sees no contradiction of values in that. History going to meet. The guy. Plant is part of the economic landscape here it creates jobs and the many people who work there are good for our business but i also dont believe. The plant was originally given the name she known as a special honor the wine is world famous but these days the association has become a burden for the regions wine growers. A fleet of military planes suddenly appeared in the sky the aircraft belong to the forced if up the nuclear wing of the French Armed Forces theyre stationed at a military airbase in loran some 500 kilometers further east. Plans are afoot for a radioactive waste burial site just nearby. Our next stop is the village of brew up a village with just 92. 00 inhabitants here too we found only small signs of protest. You cant see much of the site from above ground but theres obviously something going on and our arrival didnt go unnoticed the local shandong patrol the streets around the clock as soon as we got our cameras out we were stopped by police and asked for our papers this happened 4 times folks local farmers. Told us the police can get kriti heavyhanded 2 years ago he lent his tractor to a group of demonstrators who occupied a nearby forest in protest against the radioactive Waste Disposal site this is the tractor that was seized when police cleared the forest in july 2016 which are its become a symbol it was held for 16 months thats a symbol to it says it took me 3 court cases to get it back up with the 64. Cmon grew up here and his farm is his pride and joy he loves this sparsely populated and scenic region hes one of the few india who can afford to take a stand because he hasnt sold his land to the Nuclear Industry. Because johnson a lot of people are against whats happening but they dont dare speak out because theyre afraid of the consequences if youre an active opponent it then they find out everything about you or they keep tabs on every single thing you do talk to suggest they dont to see movement of the city of the small. He thinks he knows whats driving the project a false france wants to be 1st other countries have similar projects planned and theyre all looking to france to see how it pans out as they want to see how its being done. No other country has an underground Nuclear Waste repository like this. But you still have no illusion its just i know that in the future there wont be any farming here in the region fill up a given. This is the place joking p. S. E. Moans fears officially this is just a Research Laboratory its managed by the National Agency for the management of radioactive waste or andhra. Engineer much to sound we need to us to a Test Facility for the storage of radioactive waste 500 meters underground. He doesnt share the concerns of farmers on p. R. C. Move Nuclear Waste has to be stored somewhere as both supporters and detractors of Nuclear Power agree. Sun we believes that deep underground is the best place for it. C explains that the complex system of blocks ensures maximum safety. Or supposed to a lot of those walls of us although we dont know if the funding or the know how will be there nor do we know if france will be politically stable. But we dont really know what will happen on the ground in the future so thats why we need to find a solution thats deep underground now as far from the unpredictable circumstances on the ground level as possible. Projects are hardly built for such longevity anymore the storage will take 100 years and the construction has to fulfill its purpose for several hundreds of thousands of years so its a little like when can the drills were once built. People knew they wouldnt live to see them completed would they get that i do. Want to. Everyone working here in the deep geological repository is acutely aware of the responsibility they carry. There guarded by st barbara patron saint of miners. Meanwhile in the south of france 70 kilometers from our say the cut akash Energy Research center is making sure the future of Nuclear Power remains bright. Every morning 36 buses deposit around 2400 experts at the Center Security here is tight. Isabel is actively and her colleague jacques de salvo belong to a team of several 100 engineers who work in Nuclear Research and they know the job is fraught with risks. The focus of their research is on Nuclear Power for civilian use and also for military use they also do some research into alternatives to Nuclear Power that way the state remains in control of developments not only in the field of Nuclear Energy but also Renewable Energy. Zachery research is what happens to radioactive substances when Chain Reactions get out of control such as in the event of a nuclear accident. Just girlfriends ive seen them on the do with what action of fuel elements that we. To take into consideration the risk of accidents. We need to understand their behavior and the potential impact on the environment in extreme cases such as the complete destruction of the fuel elements. All that yet and then an exam plastic. Take the example of fukushima where radioactivity was released. There will be clear because obviously its a good idea to reduce these risks. A press worksman interrupts to say the severity of accidents varies well of course that was an extreme case. The Research Center is almost hermetically sealed hardly anyone is allowed inside. Here in the centers would it grounds to some way up a hill a new Research Reactor is under construction. We were the 1st german t. V. Team permitted to film here. France wants to show that it remains committed to the Nuclear Project it also hopes that before too long it will once again get to sell reactors to overseas buyers. The Research Center enjoys a staggering budget of several 100000000. 00 euros a year. Every evening the buses take the employees back home. To russias located near the pretty town of sound. Which benefit significantly from its proximity to the Research Center that fills mayor with pride so is that really getting people because of the americans have told me that its the best Research Center in the world the russians have said the same it was to save you the older generation was afraid of Atomic Energy because of the bombs dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki. That was a disaster but i can assure you that in qatar hosh there has only been one accident since it was built 60 years ago and one casualty. France has the most Nuclear Power plants of any country in the world fortunately i have to say. After work kind of washes engineers like to meet up in the local b strove to enjoy a glass of wine under the Sycamore Tree away from the watchful eyes of the press folks when they speak more freely so you dont go into Atomic Energy has a tradition in france you know general to god is always mentioned in this context he wanted france to be selfsufficient on the energy front selfsufficient in every respect come to that and this tradition has taken root in the french mentality for. The nuclear bad for seema suppose you Atomic Energy isnt ideal. There are the problems of the risks and what to do with the waste. Basket but theres one that if there are other viable forms of energy. Good energy that can be produced in the same amount then that would be great of course. This is so but that said im very passionate about my work just to move the question see one more problem is no one in my Social Circle says oh how awful you work in the Nuclear Industry and its widely accepted especially among people who like science. Many even passionately defend Nuclear Power. Good to be good at that is phasing out Nuclear Energy in germany means youll need coal that produces Carbon Dioxide it was and its expensive Nuclear Power is a more straightforward option. But its not as if the electricity produced by Nuclear Power doesnt cost anything what is true is that its enviably cheap in france and thats because the state keeps prices deliberately love. Back in normandy this part of northwestern france on the Atlantic Coast is one of the windiest parts of the country but there are just a token 5 Wind Turbines located here Renewable Energy isnt much of a priority in france it seems. To be as a prosperous town largely thanks to the nearby Nuclear Power plant no wonder that the majority of locals are staunch supporters of the Nuclear Industry not just those who work at the local plant i have faith in the technology if i didnt i would have moved away long ago even though it doesnt seem as regimented as it was 25 or 30 years ago. Yes we need to supposedly monitor it sometimes we even see greenpeace around here. Welcome and oh yeah what. Does that mean its safe. For you trust me im a v. S. B. Stroke is popular with motorbike enthusiasts he grew up here in normandy. On the bus you on the telly having succeeded in attracting tourism to the region relied too much on the Nuclear Power plant and didnt focus enough on tourism. And now were in trouble. Who wants it. Among the regulars is it jeremy be careful. Hes not by. He studied chemistry and works at the flower Money Nuclear plant for to show off when i started out in the Nuclear Industry i had to have my eyes tested the doctor said to me oh youre going to work in the Atomic Energy sector thats funny from the way you look i would have expected you to be an environmental protester. And i said well Nuclear Power plants are a fact of life these days and im protecting the environment by monitoring them id rather live with this reality than act like theyre not there on the phone is what im going to talk about. This is the house of 2 people who take a different stand. And his wife paulette are the oldest of the towns few n. T. Nuclear power campaigners theyve been fighting their cause for 40 years. Do you see this was taken when Jacques Cousteau came to town and assumes ours is the only Nuclear Power plant in france that cousteau visited twice. And not a lot of people know that cousteau was strongly opposed to Nuclear Power imo. You cause enough of the cinema wonder could be when the plant was 1st built we occupied it you can see here how we block the entrance so that the construction vehicles couldnt get past. Dr who obviously. You know going to. Speak to him one day i was summoned to the School Inspector the moment he told me. Your activism is not compatible with your position as teacher but. Why is it that france has such little patience with opponents of Nuclear Power little other mo the german state suffered greatly under the nazi centralized regime. A decent an easy thats why germany is largely decentralized and as a federal democracy. I think they lend the federal states have the autonomy to make certain decisions including on Energy Matters thats not the case in france good. The falls today is a special day for d. D. Japans former Prime Minister not till kahn is visiting from monday. Hell be talking about the fukushima disaster which occurred while he was in office. At the small memorial he lays flowers and then warns against the dangers of Nuclear Power plants and encourages his audience to protest that before they say that the Atomic Energy industry is a state within the state or not so in france the Nuclear Lobby is the state so its very hard to fight it this. Put. A 3rd generation european pressurized Water Nuclear reactor for e. P. R. I. It was supposed to go into operation in the 6 years ago the start was delayed due to technical problems a sign perhaps that the mood is changing in france safety stipulations are increasingly stringent. In spring 2018 john bernard levy c. E. O. Of France Energy giant e. T. F. Was still optimistic that the mom awaited project would soon be going ahead so the project is for if it was our aim is to load the fuel rods to the reactor in december 28th thats an ambitious deadline but were used to such challenges in this industry is it was it is true is this a new challenge or just for the good of. The deadlines wasnt commit another delay was recently announced. But at least the fly monday Nuclear Power plant still has a future the plant infested mine does not the countrys oldest Nuclear Power plant is about to be closed but the risks it poses to the public remain. The locals need to know what to do in the event of an accident including schoolchildren. If disaster strikes they have to stay in their classroom the school is just 4 kilometers from the plant so sure we know it could happen were very aware. For the moment or dispose of it im a bit scared that something could happen but not of the time we know this case contains protective equipment for 4 classes you know glad you know. This is a radio that has to be tuned to a specific frequency in case the author already has an ounce important news. Is almost this is a safety vest for me in case we have to evacuate. These are a few games to keep the children occupied by cause not exactly a lot considering how many there be iodine pills. Scotch tape to seal any openings. In the family to the people batteries for the radio in case theres a power cut limited and a bit of sugar for the children gets you clipped the only. One is it is usually. When it comes to wilson she just wanted limits in my life i cant give my personal opinion obviously i have an opinion but ill keep it to myself its a thorny issue philmont and yana like its your last resort and then youve got. The mayor doesnt see it as a thorny issue in fact copeland is amused by german worries. All of you much easier go border for move there we have trouble understanding the german angst. When people discuss Nuclear Power in germany they completely vilifying. Their id say over here a lot less vehement. Or theyre more prudent. In this respect germany and france are very different. Thats just how it is. The fact that that sometimes about to close has a lot to do with germany youre both going to who are the more we go through in. German attitudes to Nuclear Power are certainly very different. We ask d. D. A. No coos the anti Nuclear Power campaigner whos familiar with both german and french mentalities why france is so keen on Nuclear Power. As well i phone so i guess we have question that they just dont question it if theres the electricity comes from Nuclear Power end of story. Theres no alternative if it was presented as the solution fit for the future as environmentally friendly even muscle cars and thats how its presented they just dont worry about it all. Over on the Atlantic Coast the grassroots activists continue to collect samples for testing in the lamp. The last samples they sent in tested positive for radioactivity albeit low levels theyre worried that the sea is contaminated and they feel no one takes their concerns seriously but very slowly attitudes are shifting in france. Info doom every now and then to come over to us and say ive caught a fish or a shrimp can you analyze it or thought that there are people who are well disposed to Nuclear Power but theyre still a bit worried that the. That is that quick of the group hopes that worry will grow into outright skepticism and that perhaps one day france will finally fall out of love with Nuclear Power. Cohen to go and speak old fashioned. Calls made from trash. Trendy colors from bacteria. And may not mass produce. Sustainable ethical and thats beautiful fresh. In 30 minutes. This is the deputy news live from turkey says it will never declare a cease fire in syria uncorrupt rejecting calls from washington to end the fighting in Northern Syria even before top u. S. Officials arrived in turkey on the ground inside syria russia says its troops are patrolling to keep the call