Many uncertainties remain over the costs faced by the nuclear industry in France , notably those related to the decommissioning of reactors and the treatment of nuclear waste, the French state audit office president Didier Migaud said in an interview with French daily Le Monde released Tuesday.

The French state auditor Cour des Comptes released a report on nuclear costs in France, in a bid to assess all the costs of the industry following a major controversy over the share of nuclear in France's power sources--around 80%--after the Fukushima disaster in March last year.

France is the world's second largest nuclear operator with 58 reactors, after the U.S.

Nuclear groups in France will have to substantially invest to keep up the current level of production, which should represent at least twice the current maintenance investments levels and should increase production by costs by at least 10% on average, Migaud said.

By 2022, 22 reactors our of 58 will have reached 40 years of age, which is so far the maximum limit and the state auditor Cour des Comptes estimates that the total cost to decommission all of the country's reactors would amount to around EUR18.4 billion, but the estimate is not cast in stone due to the lack of further studies on the matter, Migaud cautioned.

As for nuclear waste, the treatment costs are estimated at EUR28.4 billion so far but once again, the estimate remains uncertain, he also said.

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