France needs to invest EUR322 billion in its power generation and distribution means over the next 20 years, an amount that would increase to EUR382 billion to include developing other energy sources if the nuclear share in its energy mix was cut to 50% by 2030 from around 75% at present, according to a study the French energy industry association released Monday.

Should the government decide to lower the nuclear share to 20% of the country's mix by 2030, when a majority of France 's reactors reach 60 years of age, the country would need to spend EUR434 billion by then to develop alternative power sources, according to the study conducted for the Union Francaise de l'Electricite.

In the first case, where the hegemony of nuclear isn't called into question, the UFE estimated that around EUR117 billion-EUR209 billion should be invested in power generation means, EUR99 billion-EUR111 billion in the distribution network and EUR70 billion in power demand capping schemes.

Prices paid by French households will increase by around 33% by 2030 if nuclear remains at around 70% of the country's energy mix, and would increase by 50% in a scenario in which nuclear accounts for 50% of France 's energy mix, the study found. In the latter case, French consumers would still pay lower prices than German consumers, it said.

The study was conducted after Japan 's Fukushima nuclear crisis in March triggered an unprecedented debate over the use of nuclear energy in France , which has 58 reactors and is currently building another one, ahead of the presidential election of May 2012.

In any case, France's grid's interconnections with it neighbors must be strengthened to either export more power in the first case, or to import more power in the two other cases, the study warned.

The UFE also noted that many uncertainties remain over some renewable energy techniques, notably offshore wind which is new in France , and urged a quicker development of these technologies, which would then help bringing investment costs down.

The study also found that would France keep 70% of its energy nuclear, its carbon emission level would amount to 307 million metric tons a year by 2030, from 360 million tons a year currently. In the second case, when 50% of the country's energy remains nuclear, carbon emissions would amount to 324 million tons a year in 2030. In the third case, where nuclear represents only 20% of France 's mix, carbon emissions grow to 429 million tons a year by 2030.

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