France halts joint nuclear project in blow to Japan's fuel cycle

Move comes as tensions mount over Renault-Nissan

A fuel rod is inserted into a reactor vessel, right, inside the No.1 reactor building at Kyushu Electric Power's Sendai nuclear power station.

TAKASHI TSUJI, Nikkei staff writer

November 30, 2018 07:24 JST

TOKYO -- The French government has informed Japan it will halt joint development of advanced nuclear reactors, Nikkei has learned, dealing a blow to the fuel cycle policy underpinning much of the East Asian country's energy plans.

France is expected to halt research from next year into the Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration project, or Astrid, and stop setting budgets for the fast breeder reactors from 2020.