after the fall of the berlin wall nov 9th on t.w. . the beaches of normandy are famously beautiful except for one blot on the landscape . the from on the nuclear power plant partly obscured by the haze on the horizon. the power plant is one of the largest in france. and syria left here we wouldn't move away because of it i try not to assume the worst.

residents here enjoy the sun sea and sand seemingly unperturbed by the nuclear power plant in the distance no one moved to nobody used to it. i think it's not been there for ages with the factory there was built in 1964. full of nuclear plants been there since the 1970 s. so we're used to it but you. also show naval base nearby off the market where there's nuclear vessels. it's normal for us is new it's part of our culture of. nuclear power it is part of french culture why are the french so blasé about it opposite the film and the plant is another local landmark the nuclear fuel reprocessing facility. for many the french love affair with nuclear power is hard

to fathom here on the atlantic coast in northern france we began a journey through the country on a quest to get to the bottom of it it took us almost a year to secure all the filming permits we needed to we had to pass through strict security controls and wear special protective clothing we were repeatedly assured that it was perfectly safe. 58 nuclear power plants are in operation in france more than in any other european country worldwide only the us has more in friends they're all run by the state controlled power company e.d.f. in lug plutonium is also extracted from the spent nuclear fuel the plant is operated by all run no press officer going to ma showed us the cooling ponds where the spent fuel rods are stored while they're still radioactive. food is under street these days all industries need to recycle the plastics industry the paper

industry the metal industry but come out given the challenges of today's changing climate it's out of the question not to recycle spent material but what if we see recycling as our social and environmental responsibilities that while many of you one more thought. but not. all the waste can be recycled till money explained how some non-recyclable radioactive waste is compact it into sealed metal containers that are kept underground. at the end of a long corridor or we pass through a number of heavy high security doors. france's nuclear waste is stored here in this cavernous home neither france nor germany have found optimal solutions and suitable locations for the storage of radioactive waste. at large jesus yes he strives that ending here on 2 shafts underground is the equivalent of enough

electricity for $1000000.00 people in france for a year even on the produce shown to be close to the. i mean don't guess on off and i believe it's important to demonstrate and we do so daily that in france at least nuclear power is safe of all of them i'm proud to work in this industry after the destructor if you feel the plane as it understood. despite the stringent safety regulations we have our doubts about safety. and when we were checked for radioactive contamination we were shocked when we set off the warning light. when a little model of the alarm to a 2nd check showed it was a false alarm. relief all around. our equipment was checked as well. to vast nuclear power sites in close proximity but few seem to be bothered.

this small group however is concerned they made here on the coast where waste water from the reprocessing facility flows into the ocean from a pipeline the group regularly collect samples of sand mussels moss and algae. they said. the samples to an laboratory to be analyzed. but if we check for limpets aquatic snails you find all over the beaches up if they absorb radioactive elements such as cesium 137 and iodine 129 that's off the. laboratory conducted sample analysis in the wake of the fukushima nuclear disaster . we had to wait to find out if the samples from the beach in northern france are contaminated or not. 900 kilometers away in pheasant hi i'm on the french german border is another nuclear power plant the oldest in france it's just 20 kilometers

away from the city of fribourg. french activists d.d.a. no coups meets up on a regular basis with opponents to nuclear power in germany in the 1980 s. the church noble disaster in what was then the soviet union changed his opinion about nuclear power back then a french meteorological service had said there was no cause for concern you know all about it it was a dude and you'll forget it's the announcer explained that a radioactive cloud was moving through europe but he went on to say that it stopped at the french border unlike the rest of europe he stated the country was protected by a high pressure front. falls the month of may of these of mouthpiece that report devastated me i just couldn't believe that the news would go that far it was such a blatant manipulation of the facts enough of a manipulation of the public when the new and plenty of people allowed themselves to be manipulated or that's the saddest thing about it is not the thought which the

. ddnos is not the only person we met who suggests that official information isn't reliable. we headed next into central france and the picturesque valley it's home to some 400 renaissance. part of the area is a unesco world heritage site but the region is also home to the highest density of nuclear power plants in the country 17 in all. ringback again we were struck by the public indifferent. after the 2nd world war president charles de gaulle was keen to make france self-reliant and became an enthusiastic advocate of nuclear power for both military and civilian use he wanted friends to be a world leader in atomic energy and saw it as key to the country status on the

world must. build in the late 1950 s. the she no nuclear power plant is affectionately known as love it once served military purposes and stands right in the middle of wine growing country for years who daughter full full has been trying in vain to get the name of the plant changed so it doesn't have the same name as his wine. which deal for. all we want is to stop the media making false associations that's our main objective. we have completely different values. as a wine for the power plant produces electricity and basically all wine growing areas in france are close to a nuclear power plant. but we share a name with the one near us. and we want to avoid being dragged into a controversy that's nothing to do with us and didn't operate.

through full isn't actually an opponent of nuclear energy he just doesn't want his wind to be associated with it and he sees no contradiction of values in that little how he bought into. the. plant is part of the economic landscape here we have madiba it creates jobs and the many people who work there are good for our business but it also results from. the plant was originally given the name she known as a special honor the wine is world famous but these days the association has become a burden for the region's wine growers. a fleet of military planes suddenly appeared in the sky the aircraft belong to the forced if up the nuclear wing of the french armed forces they're stationed at

a military air base in the rain some 500 kilometers further east. plans are afoot for a radioactive waste burial site just nearby. our next stop is the village of brew up a village with just $92.00 inhabitants here too we found only small signs of protest . you can't see much of the site from above ground but there's obviously something going on and our arrival didn't go unnoticed the local shandong patrol the streets around the clock as soon as we got our cameras out we were stopped by police and asked for our papers this happened 4 times for us local farmer. told us the police can get kriti heavy handed 2 years ago he lent his tractor to a group of demonstrators who occupied a nearby forest in protest against the radioactive waste disposal site this is the

tractor that was seized when police cleared the forest in july 2016 it's become a symbol it was held for 16 months that's a symbol to it was that it took me 3 court cases to get it back if you come up with success you've puir. cmon grew up here and his farm is his pride and joy he loves this sparsely populated and scenic region he's one of the few india who can afford to take a stand because he hasn't sold his land to the nuclear industry. because jokes a lot of people are against what's happening but they don't dare speak out because they're afraid of the consequences if you're an active opponent it then they find out everything about you or they keep tabs on every single thing you do dope decision to don't you see movement of the city of the small. he thinks he knows what's driving the project

a false france wants to be 1st other countries have similar projects planned and they're all looking to france to see how it pans out as they want to see how it's being done. no other country has an underground nuclear waste repository like this if it but usually have no illusion of i know that in the future there won't be any farming here in the region feel up to. this is the place stoking john p.s.e. moans fears officially this is just a research laboratory it's managed by the national agency for the management of radioactive waste or andhra. and. engineer much use sound we need to us to a test facility for the storage of radioactive waste 500 meters underground. he doesn't share the concerns of farmers p.r.c. more nuclear waste has to be stored somewhere as both supporters and detractors of

nuclear power agree. sun we believes that deep underground is the best place for it. c explains that the complex system of locks ensures maximum safety. that is. supposed to feel small suppose all that we don't know if the funding or the know how will be there nor do we know if france will be politically stable. but we don't really know what will happen on the ground in the future is it so that's why we need to find a solution that's deep underground now as far from the unpredictable circumstances on ground level as possible. projects are hardly built for such longevity any more of the storage will take 100 years and the construction has to fulfil its purpose for several hundreds of thousands of years so it's a little like when can the drills were once built. people knew they wouldn't live

to see them completed would they get their god. is that. everyone working here in the deep geological repository is acutely aware of the responsibility they carry. there guarded by st barbara patron saint of miners. meanwhile in the south of france 70 kilometers from our say the cut of osh energy research center is making sure the future of nuclear power remains bright. every morning 36 buses deposit around 2400 experts at the center security here is tight. isabel and her colleague jacques de salvo belong to a team of several 100 engineers who work in nuclear research they know the job is fraught with risks. the focus of the research is on nuclear power for

civilian use and also for military use they also do some research into alternatives to nuclear power that way the state remains in control of developments not only in the field of nuclear energy but also renewable energy. zachary research is what happens to radioactive substances when chain reactions get out of control such as in the event of a nuclear accident. just professor i've seen them on do that with what action a fuel elements we. need to take into consideration the risk of accidents. we need to understand their behavior and the potential impact on the environment in extreme cases such as the complete destruction of the fuel elements. on that yet and an example last see a human take the example of fukushima where radioactivity was released. the clear good equals obviously it's

a good idea to reduce these risks. a press worksman interrupts to say the severity of accidents varies well of course that was an extreme case. the research center is almost hermetically sealed hardly anyone is allowed inside. here in the centers would it grounds to some way up a hill a new research reactor is under construction. we were the 1st german t.v. team permitted to film here. france wants to show that it remains committed to the nuclear project it also hopes that before too long it will once again get to sell reactors to overseas buyers. the research center enjoys a staggering budget of several $100000000.00 euros a year. every evening the buses take the employees back home.

to russia's located near the pretty town of san paulo lagos which benefits significantly from its proximity to the research center that fills mayor with pride still as. the americans have told me that it's the best research center in the world the russians have said the same it was to save you the older generation was afraid of atomic energy because of the bombs dropped on hiroshima and nagasaki. that was a disaster but i can assure you that in ca the hosh there has only been one accident since it was built 60 years ago and one casualty. sit. france has the most nuclear power plants of any country in the world fortunately i have to say. there was a monday. after work kind of rushes engineers like to meet up in the local beach drove to enjoy a glass of wine under the sycamore tree away from the watchful eyes of the press

spokesman they speak more freely so you don't go into atomic energy has a tradition in france. is always mentioned in this context he wanted france to be self-sufficient on the energy front self-sufficient in every respect come to that and this tradition has taken root in the french mentality. the nuclear bad for seema suppose you atomic energy isn't ideal. there are the problems of the risks and what to do with the waste. basket but there's one that if there are other viable forms of energy. the energy that can be produced in the same amount then that would be great of course you know he could miss it but that said i'm very passionate about my work just to make that same remote problem is no one in my social circle says oh how awful you work in the nuclear industry it's widely

accepted especially among people who like science. many even passionately defend nuclear power. to the senate that is phasing out nuclear energy in germany means you'll need coal that produces carbon dioxide it was and it's expensive nuclear power is a more straightforward option off the field. but it's not as if the electricity produced by nuclear power doesn't cost anything what is true is that it's enviably cheap in france and that's because the state keeps prices deliberately love. back in normandy this part of northwestern france on the atlantic coast is one of the windiest parts of the country but there are just a token 5 wind turbines located here renewable energy isn't much of a priority in france it seems. on monday as a prosperous town largely thanks to the nearby nuclear power plant no wonder that

the majority of locals are staunch supporters of the nuclear industry not just those who work at the local plant and i have faith in the technology if i didn't i would have moved away long ago even though it doesn't seem as regimented as it was 25 or 30 years ago. yes we need it's a closely monitored sometimes we even see greenpeace around here. welcome and more yes it. does that mean it's safe. for you trust me i'm abused bistro is popular with motorbike and there's a it's he grew up here in normandy. on the bus you're on the telly haven't succeeded in attracting tourism to the region we relied too much on the nuclear power plant and didn't focus enough on tourism. here on up overnight in our in trouble the only one who wants it.

among the regulars is jeremy began. he's not by. he studied chemistry and works at the flower money nuclear plant for to show the world when i started out in the nuclear industry i had to have my eyes tested the doctor said to me oh you're going to work in the atomic energy sector that's funny from the way you look i would have expected you to be an environmental protester. and i said well nuclear power plants are a fact of life these days and i'm protecting the environment by monitoring them i'd rather live with this reality than act like they're not there all of them is what i don't go talk about it this is the house of 2 people who take a different stand. and his wife paulette are the oldest of the town's few n.t. nuclear power campaigners they've been fighting their cause for 40 years. to see this was taken when jacques cousteau came to town and only in a sense he ours is the only nuclear power plant in france that cousteau visited

twice. so not a lot of people know that cousteau was strongly opposed to nuclear power. the duke of enough of the cinema one could be when the plot was 1st built we occupied it you can see here how we block the entrance so that the construction vehicles couldn't get past. these on trench and you know i don't. respect to look at them one day i was summoned to the school inspector of the moon he told me . your activism is not compatible with your position as a teacher but probably not so you know why is it that france has such little patience with opponents of nuclear power a little i don't know the german state suffered greatly under the nazi centralized regime. a decent policing that's why germany is largely decentralized and is a federal democracy and i think in the end the federal states have the autonomy to

make certain decisions including on energy matters that's not the case in france good. that falls today is a special day for d.d. . japan's former prime minister now told khan is visiting from onvia. he'll be talking about the fukushima disaster which occurred while he was in office . at the small memorial he lays flowers and then warns against the dangers of nuclear power plants and encourages his audience to protest the get go for they say that the atomic energy industry is a state within the state or not so in france the nuclear lobby is the state so it's very hard to fight it as a button. and. a 3rd generation european pressurized water nuclear reactor for e.p.r.i. was supposed to go into operation in 6 years ago the start was delayed due to technical problems

a sign perhaps that the mood is changing in france safety stipulations are increasingly stringent. in spring 2018 binod levy c.e.o. of france energy giant e.d.f. was still optimistic that the long awaited project would soon be going ahead of the project is that if it was our aim is to load the fuel run to the reactor in december 28th that's an ambitious deadline but we're used to such challenges in this industry loses its race with the challenge of this to get. the deadlines wasn't commit another delay was recently announced. but at least the fly monday nuclear power plant still has a future the plant infested heim does not the country's oldest nuclear power plant is about to be closed but the risks it poses to the public remain.

locals need to know what to do in the event of an accident including schoolchildren . if disaster strikes they have to stay in their classroom the school is just 4 kilometers from the plant so sure we know it could happen we're very aware. for the moment or dispose of it go i'm a bit scared that something could happen but not all the time we know this case contains protective equipment for 4 classes. no glad you know. why this is a radio that has to be tuned to a specific frequency in case the author already has an ounce important news. is. this is a safety vest for me in case we have to evacuate. the shoot a few games to keep the children occupied but was not exactly a lot considering how many there be iodine pills to scotch took on tape to seal any openings. in the film into the penis batteries for the radio in case there's

a power cut the minutes and a bit of sugar for the children's bits you click when you can is it hurts you. when most wilson stitchers for diplomatic when i can't have my personal opinion obviously i have an opinion but i'll keep it to myself it's a thorny issue philmont and jala likes it you must read it and then you've got. the mayor doesn't see it as a thorny issue in fact copeland is amused by german worries. about your money thiago border for movie we have trouble understanding the german angst. when people discuss nuclear power in germany they completely vilify it. there i'd say over here are a lot less vehement. or they're more prudent. in this respect germany and france are very different. that's just how it is. the fact that the us and i was about to close you has

a lot to do with germany you're both going to up who are the more we go through in . german attitudes to nuclear power are certainly very different. we ask d.d.a. know coos the anti nuclear power campaigner who's familiar with both german and french mentalities why france is so keen on nuclear power. as well i phone so i guess the impression that they just don't question it there's the electricity comes from nuclear power end of story. there is no alternative as it was presented as the solution fit for the future as environmentally friendly even misrepresent that's how it's presented they just don't worry about it all. over on the atlantic coast the grassroots activists continue to collect samples for testing in the lab. the last samples they sent in tested positive for radioactivity

albeit low levels they're worried that the sea is contaminated and they feel no one takes their concerns seriously but very slowly attitudes are shifting in france. info doom every now and there are people from large come over to us and say i've caught a fish or a shrimp can you analyze it but also there are people who are well disposed to nuclear power but they're still a bit worried that. it is that big of the group hopes that worry will grow into outright skepticism and that perhaps one day france will finally fall out of love with nuclear power.

on the soviet union's secret plan. could work years before u.s. spy satellites found out what the russians were up to. the untold story of moscow's efforts to win the space race by putting a man on the moon to detail. coming. from the adventurous some of the famous naturalist and explorer. to soon the great clicks on the from 250 a day. for each of discovery. expedition one boy.

this is the w. news live from berlin u.s. president trump imposes sanctions to hold turkey's offensive in northern syria this comes as the conflict there approaches a dangerous escalation with syrian government troops advancing towards turkish visits of the u.s. is calling for anchor ought to withdraw also coming up.