Feb. 11 (UPI) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced “the renaissance of French nuclear” Thursday. It’s a plan to build six new nuclear power reactors while extending operation of existing French nuclear power plants.

The move came in Belfort as French electricity company EDF announced it is buying nuclear turbines from an American manufacturer.

“What our country needs is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Macron said during a visit to a Belfort nuclear turbine factory. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance.”

Macron’s plan includes up to 14 new reactors as he fully embraces nuclear power to transition away from fossil fuels.

Macron’s plan will begin by building six new reactors at existing nuclear sites in France starting in 2028 an initial cost of an estimated $57 billion, according to the New York Times. The plan calls for an option to build eight more by 2050.

France’s Climate Action Network urged turning to non-nuclear renewable energies instead of expanding nuclear power.

The environmental group said nuclear power is “a costly option which does not respond to the urgency to get, as soon as in the next decade, a low-carbon electricity without disruption,” Euronews reported.

UPI