Nuclear energy and cryptocurrencies: an improbable marriage? Marine Le Pen, an essential figure in the French political landscape, has just shaken up the codes by connecting these two universes. During a visit to the Flamanville EPR, she sketched a vision where surplus nuclear electricity would feed Bitcoin mining.
A symbiosis under tension
It's historical. For the first time, a French political party is considering crypto mining as a tool for energy recovery.
Marine Le Pen denounces a ” French aberration »: Nuclear reactors operating at 70 % of their capacity, compared to 90 % in the United States. According to her, this under-exploitation is a political choice in favor of intermittent energies, weakening the network.
Rather than reducing production during surpluses, it proposes to channel them towards innovative uses. Cryptocurrencies' mining is at the top of the list.
An idea that seduces with its apparent simplicity: transforming megawatts not used into digital active ingredients, generating income for EDF. “” To give up producing electricity is to give up creating wealth She asserts.
However, this logic raises questions. Corrosion under stress, pointed out by the general inspection for nuclear safety, imposes technical limits. Turning reactors at full speed would require colossal maintenance investments. The project relies on a fragile balance between profitability and security – a risky, but assumed bet.
Crypto, lever for independence … or technological mirage?
Marine Le Pen's speech goes beyond the energy anecdote. It is part of a larger strategy: anchor the crypto in the real economy. By evoking the production of hydrogen or “strategic reserves” for EDF, it draws a hybridized crypto-economy in the public sector. A surprising turn for a party often perceived as distrust of decentralized innovations.
This approach seeks to reconcile two antagonistic worlds. On the one hand, nuclear, symbol of state sovereignty. On the other, the cryptocurrencies, born of a libertarian philosophy. Le Pen sees it as an opportunity to “rupture” with “declining” policies. But behind the ambition hide gray areas.
What about the environmental impact? If the nuclear mingage reduces the carbon footprint, it does not remove it. The criticism of the blockchain energy consumption persist. In addition, the idea of constituting strategic reservations in cryptocurrencies to finance EDF raises questions. Will France follow the example of the United States by adopting a bill and accumulating more than a million BTC?
Maximize your Cointribne experience with our 'Read to Earn' program! For each article you read, earn points and access exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start accumulating advantages.
