Closure of Fessenheim: sorry for failing to do more, better and sooner…

To the employees of the Fessenheim power station:
Please accept our apologies for failing to do MORE, BETTER and SOONER
to help you keep your working tool…

During the night of Friday (21st of February) to Saturday, the first unit of the Fessenheim nuclear power plant was shut down following a gradual power decline all day and into the night. Some employees resisted for a few hours but finally pressed the switch as their professionalism prevailed over a last-ditch attempt to resist the unreasonable order.

The shutdown decision, as inept decision as it was, was made despite a battle that began in 2012. Eight long years of uncertainty for the employees, years during which the plant had nevertheless continued to produce electricity under perfect conditions of performance and safety.

The Voices of Nuclear joined plant employees, trade union representatives, local residents and elected officials, including Claude Brender, the mayor of Fessenheim who tirelessly defended his city, to denounce the consequences of the irrational fear of nuclear science that this closure only serves to perpetuate.

The Voices of Nuclear will continue to use all the means at our disposal to carry on the fight so that facts may recover their rightful place in the energy debate, and that nuclear power may resume its rightful place in the energy transition process as a power source that is steady, environmentally friendly, provider of skilled jobs, socially just and accessible to all.

Our thanks to all the members and supporters of the Voices (Les Voix) who organized, supported and came out to participate in the rally in front of the power station in Fessenheim last Saturday:
Jadwiga Nadjer, Florent Legoux, Eric Leonard, Sabrina Bruneaux, Hervé Dago, Jean-Alex Foret, Jean-Philippe Brette, Myrto Tripathi, Claude Jaouen, Guillaume Milot, Benjamin Levi, Lubomir Bures, Amardeo Sarma, Brigitte Beuneu, Guilherme Cardoso, Cyrille Molina…

Hear the speech by the president of the Voices of Nuclear

Hear the speech of Amardeo Sarma, ecomodernist
(in German)

The speech by the mayor of Fessenheim, Claude Brender
(in French)

Reactions in the media

Bloomberg
France closing its oldest nuclear plant spurs debate on energy