The candidates and nuclear power: EPRs, wind and ZFEs

In 2025 nuclear power produced 373 TWh, or 68.1% of France's electricity, and wind 9.1%, according to the grid operator RTE's annual report (Connaissance des énergies). The multi-year energy plan, adopted by a decree published on 13 February 2026 rather than by a law, provides for six new EPR2 reactors, the first around 2038, and slows down onshore wind (Maire info). Low-emission zones (ZFE), which restrict the most polluting vehicles in some cities, remain in force: Parliament voted to abolish them, but the Conseil constitutionnel struck that down on 21 May 2026, without ruling on the merits, because it had no sufficient link with the bill (Banque des Territoires).

The test asks about these issues under the topic "Energy, climate and farming". Four statements are in the main test: three on energy and transport, one on pesticides. One more, on the precautionary principle, is asked only as a tie-breaker, when the result is close. Below are the positions of all eleven candidates, each based on a programme, a statement or a vote. An asterisk (*) marks an estimated position: the candidate has not addressed the question directly, and the position is inferred from what they have said elsewhere. On this topic 9 of the 55 positions are estimated, but only 3 of the 44 in the main test.

The candidates' positions

Nuclear power: nine for, two against

"France should build new nuclear reactors." This is the only statement in the test on which all eleven candidates are at one end of the scale: nine strongly agree and two strongly disagree. Every position has a source. What distinguishes the nine supporters is mainly the number of reactors.

• Gabriel Attal plans 14 new EPR reactors and a return to series construction, aiming for one reactor a year ("Messmer II" plan, 23 September 2026).
• Édouard Philippe wants to launch 8 EPRs on top of the 6 already planned (priorities, "For a more ambitious France"), as does Bruno Retailleau's party, which promises to order eight more EPR2s in the first two years of the term ("Electricity", p. 14).
• Éric Zemmour: at least 14 new EPR2s by 2050, extending the existing fleet to 60 years and small modular reactors (SMRs) (2022 manifesto, p. 31).
• Marine Le Pen: the "Marie Curie plan" to relaunch nuclear power, with new EPRs and SMRs (RN 2024 programme, p. 8).
• David Lisnard gives priority to nuclear power: reactors extended to 60 years, new EPRs and small reactors (Nouvelle Énergie); Nicolas Dupont-Aignan wants to speed up EPR2s and small modular reactors (platform, "Economy").
• Fabien Roussel announced in 2025 a "pact for France" including "the production of 20 new nuclear power stations" (franceinfo, 24 August 2025).
• Raphaël Glucksmann: Place publique's programme seeks to "strengthen the role of nuclear power" and build new units on time (p. 17).

Against, Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants to "phase out nuclear power: abandon the EPR reactor projects" (L'Avenir en commun, ch. 13), and the Écologistes' programme of Marine Tondelier to "plan the exit from nuclear power" and "end the new EPR-2 and SMR programmes" (p. 17).

Nuclear power therefore separates Fabien Roussel and Raphaël Glucksmann, on the same side as the other seven supporters, from Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Tondelier, with whom they nevertheless agree on wind power.

Wind power

"Wind power should continue to be developed." Here the dividing line falls elsewhere: six candidates agree, five disagree, and every position has a source.

In favour: Jean-Luc Mélenchon wants 100% renewable energy and "an emergency plan for offshore wind" (ch. 18); Marine Tondelier's programme backs "offshore and onshore wind farms" (p. 17); Raphaël Glucksmann's an investment plan in all renewable energies (p. 17). Gabriel Attal ("Messmer II" plan), Édouard Philippe (priorities, "For a more ambitious France") and Fabien Roussel (2022 programme, p. 29) agree: they combine nuclear power and renewables.

Against, four candidates are at the end of the scale. Marine Le Pen's 2022 programme would halt wind projects and gradually dismantle existing wind farms (22 measures, p. 5); Éric Zemmour's would end all projects, onshore and offshore (p. 32); Bruno Retailleau calls for an end to "pouring billions into the wind" (op-ed of 9 August 2026); Nicolas Dupont-Aignan's party would halt wind projects and end state support (platform, "Regional balance"). David Lisnard disagrees: he wants to end the "waste" of subsidised renewables and put the money into nuclear power (Nouvelle Énergie).

Low-emission zones

"Low-emission zones (ZFE) in large cities should be scrapped." Seven candidates agree, one is neutral and three disagree. This is the only one of the four statements on which Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Fabien Roussel are on the same side as Marine Le Pen and Bruno Retailleau.

• Marine Le Pen wants to scrap low-emission zones, as part of the RN's rejection of what it calls "punitive ecology" (RN 2024 programme, p. 7); Nicolas Dupont-Aignan wants their abolition "for good", calling them zones that exclude motorists (platform, "Motorists and bikers"); Éric Zemmour would end any ban on certain vehicles driving in cities (p. 28).
• Bruno Retailleau co-signed a 2025 op-ed calling it "necessary to finally repeal the low-emission zones" (republicains.fr, 2 July 2025), and after the Conseil constitutionnel's decision David Lisnard promised to abolish them "by a proper law, and at a gallop" (Nouvelle Énergie).
• Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Fabien Roussel agree without going to the end of the scale: the former calls for a moratorium on low-emission zones "in their current design", seen as socially unfair, and his group voted to abolish them in 2025 (ch. 13); the latter spoke in 2023 of a "social bomb that penalises the poorest" and called for a moratorium (AFP via L'info durable).

Édouard Philippe's neutral position is estimated: he has not spoken about low-emission zones. Against, Gabriel Attal opposed abolishing them in 2025, and his party proposes restoring them in the cities that want them (Renaissance, p. 6); Marine Tondelier wants to "improve air quality by changing the conditions of the low-emission zones", with help and exemptions (p. 108). Raphaël Glucksmann's position (disagree) is estimated.

Farming, in brief

"Glyphosate and neonicotinoids should be banned." Four candidates agree, one is neutral and six disagree. The programmes of Raphaël Glucksmann (p. 35) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon (ch. 13) propose banning them; Marine Tondelier wants to prevent neonicotinoids from coming back and to phase out synthetic pesticides by 2050 (p. 29), and Fabien Roussel's party group voted against the Duplomb farming law in 2025 (vote no. 2957). Against, Bruno Retailleau strongly disagrees: his party pledges to re-authorise some neonicotinoids, including acetamiprid ("Rearming our agriculture", p. 17). Gabriel Attal ("no ban without an alternative") and Marine Le Pen voted for the Duplomb law in 2025; so did Édouard Philippe's group, and he wants "zero over-transposition"; David Lisnard backs "the reasoned use of plant-protection products" and Éric Zemmour rejects bans without a reliable alternative. These five disagree. Nicolas Dupont-Aignan's neutral position is estimated.

As a tie-breaker, one last statement proposes removing the precautionary principle from the Constitution. David Lisnard and Bruno Retailleau strongly agree; Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Tondelier strongly disagree. Nicolas Dupont-Aignan disagrees: faced with the coronavirus in 2020, he urged "let's apply the precautionary principle" (Debout la France, 26 February 2020), and he does not propose removing it. The other six positions are estimated (two neutral and four against).

Four combinations

The three statements on energy and transport give four combinations.

• Nuclear, no wind, no low-emission zones: Marine Le Pen, Éric Zemmour, Bruno Retailleau, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and David Lisnard.
• Nuclear and wind, low-emission zones kept: Gabriel Attal, Raphaël Glucksmann (estimated on low-emission zones) and Édouard Philippe (estimated, neutral on low-emission zones).
• Nuclear and wind, but a moratorium on low-emission zones: Fabien Roussel.
• Phase out nuclear and develop wind: Marine Tondelier, who wants to keep low-emission zones but change them, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who wants a moratorium.

What separates the groups: nuclear power separates Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Tondelier from everyone else; wind power separates the first group from the other six candidates; low-emission zones separate Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Fabien Roussel from Marine Tondelier, Raphaël Glucksmann and Gabriel Attal.

Who is closest to whom on energy and farming

To compare the candidates two by two, we added up the gaps between their positions on the four main-test statements (our calculation). Zero would mean identical positions; the maximum is 16. Here are some pairs, from the closest to the furthest apart. Estimated positions count like the others.

On this topic, Fabien Roussel is closer to Édouard Philippe (3) than to Jean-Luc Mélenchon (6), from whom nuclear power separates him. Édouard Philippe is further from Bruno Retailleau (6) than from Fabien Roussel: wind power separates the first two. Raphaël Glucksmann and Marine Tondelier, who agree on wind power and pesticides, are opposed on nuclear power. The furthest apart are Bruno Retailleau and Marine Tondelier (14 out of 16).

The four statements on the topic count towards the social axis of the political compass: supporting nuclear power and scrapping low-emission zones, and opposing wind power and pesticide bans, counts as a conservative position. On this topic alone, Bruno Retailleau (+100), Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour (+87.5), Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and David Lisnard (+75) are on the conservative side; Édouard Philippe (+25), Gabriel Attal and Fabien Roussel (+12.5) are close to the centre; Raphaël Glucksmann (−37.5), Jean-Luc Mélenchon (−62.5) and Marine Tondelier (−75) are on the progressive side (our calculation, applying the compass formula to the four statements). Fabien Roussel, on the progressive side of the social axis overall (−35), moves here to the conservative side because of nuclear power and low-emission zones.

Further reading

• All the statements on the topic, with sources: "Energy, climate and farming".
• The candidates' positions on every statement in the test: candidate comparison.
• Compare two candidates, for example Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Fabien Roussel, Raphaël Glucksmann and Marine Tondelier, Bruno Retailleau and Édouard Philippe or Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
• How the topics count towards the compass: "Who is left and who is right".
• Candidate pages: Gabriel Attal, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Raphaël Glucksmann, Marine Le Pen, David Lisnard, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Édouard Philippe, Bruno Retailleau, Fabien Roussel, Marine Tondelier, Éric Zemmour.
• Find out which candidate you are closest to across all topics: take the test.