Two new EPR2 reactors confirm the nuclear future of the Ain region.

The Nuclear Policy Council, chaired by Emmanuel Macron, decided on Wednesday in favor of building two EPR2 reactors at the Bugey nuclear power plant in the Ain department. This decision is part of the national program to construct eight new-generation reactors in France. Jean Deguerry, president of the Ain Departmental Council, welcomed the announcement as a tremendous opportunity for the local economy, particularly in terms of employment. Other sites, such as Saint-Paul-Trois-Vallées in the Drôme department and Creys-Mépieu in the Isère department, home to the Tricastin nuclear power plant and the former Creys-Malville plant (currently being decommissioned), respectively, had also expressed interest in hosting some of these future reactors.

An already structured industrial ecosystem

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region already has a structured nuclear industrial ecosystem. Nearly 1,300 regional companies work in the sector, according to an overview published in September 2025 and mapped by local economic stakeholders. To consolidate these economic benefits, a coordinating body created in November 2017 around the Bugey nuclear power plant has been bringing together some forty stakeholders from the Ain, Isère, and Rhône departments for the past nine years. This structure, which evolved in 2025 with the addition of a working group dedicated to local areas, including an ecology and environment component, focuses on employment, training, and the involvement of local businesses in sector projects.

Aiming for decarbonization by 2035

According to Jean Deguerry, these two new reactors will contribute to the national objective of achieving completely carbon-free electricity production by 2035, based on an energy mix composed of equal parts nuclear and renewable energy sources. The construction schedule and the precise impact on local employment remain to be defined, but elected officials and economic stakeholders in the region are demonstrating their determination to capitalize on this strategic choice. The challenge will be to transform this political decision into concrete opportunities for the Bugey employment area and neighboring regions.