French president Emmanuel Macron said he wants to invest in a closed nuclear fuel cycle – opening up the possibility of the country’s fast reactor programme being revived.

Mr Macron told the Brut media network that “nuclear power of tomorrow cannot be the same as it is now, producing so much waste”.

He said France could make progress creating a closed cycle that would make it possible to reuse spent uranium from nuclear reactors. “In addition to caring for the environment, it is also necessary to reduce dependence on uranium supplies from certain countries,” he said.

A closed nuclear fuel cycle means spent fuel is reprocessed and partly reused. A closed cycle can reduce the radiotoxicity of waste, improve the use of fuel resources such as uranium and maintain nuclear’s economic viability. There are different types of advanced fuel cycles under research, with many based on the use of advanced reactors.