The Export Ambition

France's nuclear mastery created export opportunities. French companies built reactors in Belgium, South Africa, China, and South Korea. The technology transfer often included training and long-term partnerships. French nuclear engineering became a significant export industry, earning billions while spreading French technical standards globally.

The relationship with China proved particularly complex. French companies trained Chinese engineers and transferred technology in the 1980s and 1990s. China then developed indigenous capabilities, becoming a competitor. This pattern—technical cooperation leading to competition—would repeat in other industries, raising questions about balancing export benefits with maintaining technological advantage.

Recent export efforts faced new challenges. The EPR (European Pressurized Reactor), designed to be the world's safest and most efficient reactor, encountered massive delays and cost overruns in Finland and France. Design complexity, regulatory changes, and loss of construction experience contributed to problems. The contrast with successful standardized fleet construction highlighted how capabilities can atrophy without practice.