France built out its nuclear power generation from 10% to 80% in the span of less than 20 years [1]. While it's true that its latest plants are having difficulties, nuclear power has always been more expensive for one-of-a-kind designs rather than serial production.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_France#Messme...

> nuclear power has always been more expensive for one-of-a-kind designs rather than serial production.

Surely that’s the case of most everything?

Also epr was sold on outright lies, they sold the ability to build a novel plant after years of not building anything not just faster then the previous N4 (which had tons of teething issues) but faster than the P4s (the very successful generation before the the N4, which france built quite a few of).

Plus the terrible awful idea that areva (the plant designer) would be responsible for overseeing construction (on previous generations it was always edf). Strangely that doesn’t make the incentives great.

This has nothing to do with nuclear power plants.

Nothing in common? Lets see. Nuclear power plants and weapons were supported and approved by the same president, regulated by the same governments, with the same members from the same parties, sharing the same feedback and moving in the same direction as the politics requested

If you look under the masks of the people sharing the final responsibility you will see the face of the president in all cases. All nuclear things are intertwined, in the same way as Facebook and Instagram are different, but anything affecting one of them, will instantly spread and change the other.

The French nuclear weapons program was started by (right-wing President) general de Gaulle in the early 60s. The French nuclear power program was started in the mid-70s under the (right-wing) Giscard d'Estaing government. The rainbow warrior bombing was conducted under the (left-wing/socialist) government of Mitterrand.

So completely different governments, in fact.

France did nuclear weapons tests from 60 until 90's with many presidents. And promoted nuclear energy with many presidents. There is an extensive feedback and overlapping between both programs and the successive governments continued basically in the same direction as the former.

France just keep a clean image doing the essays as far from Europe and indiscreet views as they could and hiding the real extension of the damage done, but can't be denied that they have their own quote of evil acts also in this field, as any other countries. I'm not comparing them with North Korea, but they commit mistakes also.