What place for nuclear power in liberalized electricity markets?

Summary The initial cycle of investment in civil nuclear power began in the 1970s, ahead of the movement to liberalize electricity markets that spread throughout the OECD. Today, nuclear power competes - depending on the environment - with "fatal" renewable energies that drive down prices (in Europe) and/or thermal power (in the United States). This configuration could shorten the lifespan of power plants deployed in the 20th century and creates uncertainty about the financing model for future power plant projects (assuming the granting of "off-market" guarantees, as was the case for the British Hinkley Point project). These observations are certainly the result of the market's interplay between the different production methods according to their "merits" (i.e. their marginal cost), but also of an imperfect valuation of the contribution of each of them to the electricity system: provision of capacity and system services and, above all, their carbon footprint.