PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers have voted to make their country a little less heavily dependent on nuclear energy.
The lower house of parliament adopted a measure Friday to reduce the share of nuclear energy in the electricity supply from 75 percent currently to 50 percent in 2025. The nuclear share in the United States, in comparison, is about 19 percent.
France invested heavily in nuclear energy in the 1960s and 1970s and has pioneered waste reprocessing and other nuclear technologies.
But many plants are aging and pressure has mounted to invest in renewable energy. President Francois Hollande has pledged to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear reactors.
Hollande is meeting Friday with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is hosting a conference in Paris on protecting the environment and reducing climate change.
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