France will soon be commissioning a new nuclear power plant for the first time in over two decades. The state-owned energy company EDF announced on Wednesday evening that the nuclear supervisory authority has approved the final preparatory steps for the start of the new nuclear reactor in Flamanville on the English Channel. The loading of the power plant with nuclear fuel is now expected to begin in the coming weeks. Connection of the pressurized water reactor (EPR) to the national power grid is planned for the summer. Construction of the controversial reactor began in 2007 and it was complete…