France’s president Emmanuel Macron said he sees nuclear energy as a solution for an eco-friendly future in France, calling for “key” preparatory studies around the construction of new reactors to be wrapped up in the coming months.

In a speech while visiting the Framatome nuclear components factory in Saône-et-Loire on 8 December, Mr Macron said: “Our future in terms of ecology and energy will be through nuclear energy.”

He added: “As we have made progress on nuclear waste and safety, nuclear energy is a decarbonated, safe energy that should remain a cornerstone of our energy mix.”