French Lawmakers Fail to Reach Deal on Energy Bill

France's two houses of parliament failed to reach a compromise on a flagship energy bill on Tuesday, delaying the final adoption of a text the government wants to use to cap nuclear production.

 

A joint committee of lawmakers from both houses were meeting behind closed doors late on Tuesday to find a compromise.

 

"Back to square one. The chair has formally taken note of the disagreement," Sabine Buis, a Socialist MP that was part of the committee said on Twitter (TWTR). Green lawmakers Denis Baupin and Ronan Dantec confirmed in a statement no compromise had been found.

 

The so-called energy transition bill, steered through parliament by Energy Minister Segolene Royal, was adopted by the Socialist-controlled lower house of parliament last October.

 

It included a cap on nuclear production capacity to the current level and a target to cut nuclear power production to 50 percent of the power mix in 2025 from the current 75 percent, the highest share of any country in the world.

 

However, senators from the opposition-controlled upper house adopted a significantly different version earlier this year, raising the cap on nuclear power production and removing any mention of the 2025 deadline.

 

The bill will now have to be reviewed by both houses again, before a final adoption by the National Assembly, which has the final word, around mid-2015.