Rassemblement National (RN), a French political party, is reportedly pushing to mine Bitcoin using surplus energy from nuclear power plants, signaling a shift from its leader’s previous anti-crypto stance. 

French newspaper outlet Le Monde reported last week that RN leader and three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen now backs using idle nuclear energy for Bitcoin (BTC) mining. She reportedly promoted the plan during a visit to the Flamanville nuclear plant on March 11. The party said the initiative will turn wasted electricity into “secure and extremely profitable” digital assets. 

According to Le Monde, RN lawmaker Aurélien Lopez-Liguori has spearheaded the proposal in the French Parliament, drafting a bill to install mining infrastructure at sites operated by the energy giant Électricité de France (EDF). 

The shift reflects broader momentum within the political party to embrace Bitcoin as a tool for economic sovereignty. Lopez-Liguori said that the party wants to use every bit of energy produced to eliminate waste. 

Cointelegraph reached out to Rassemblement National for comment but had not received a response by publication.

RN suffers internal disputes on crypto stance

The pro-crypto position marks a major reversal from RN’s stance in 2016, when Le Pen called for a ban on cryptocurrencies in France.

In a press release at the time, Le Pen said that the more money is dematerialized and digitized, the more people will “lose ownership” of their money. She described making cash disappear in favor of digital currencies as an alienation of man to benefit the global banking system. 

Le Pen said currency is a national good entrusted to the people. Because of this, she promised to prevent the use of crypto in France. 

Within the party, ideologies contradicting Bitcoin's ethos of decentralization persist. RN finance lead Jean-Philippe Tanguy said the party should not embrace currency independence and reaffirm its belief in centralized monetary policy. 

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Despite the ideological rift, the right-wing RN remains France’s most active political force in advancing crypto legislation.

While left-leaning parties continue to focus on the environmental impact of mining and its association with illicit finance, RN has attracted crypto lobbyists and entrepreneurs who see the party as pro-business, according to Le Monde.

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