France's energy minister said on Sunday that the cost of maintaining older reactors would be factored into any decision on the future size of its large and aging nuclear power fleet, reports Reuters.
The government already plans to shut the Fessenheim plant on the German border as part of a pledge to bring down atomic energy to 50 percent of French power output by 2025 from the current 75 percent, the highest share in the world.
But it has skirted the issue of whether to extend the operating life of its 58 nuclear reactors, which state-owned utility would like to prolong from 40 years to up to 60 years.
"Investments in reactors at the oldest plants don't last forever. You then have to re-invest and that is very expensive," Energy Minister Segolene Royal told France 3 television.
"If it costs a lot more to carry out maintenance to make older plants secure, it would be better to build renewable energy installations," she said.
Read more of this report from Reuters.