Nuclear technology, in its civil or military forms, with benefits and drawbacks, is both controversial and closely associated with strong emotional responses. In France, where nuclear energy production is the primary source of electricity, key stakeholders with varying interests oppose, support, or monitor the nuclear industry. Interactions between groups highlight the organization of power hierarchies in the debate. While normative stakeholders govern the development of the civil nuclear program, oppositional and monitoring stakeholders are limited in their actions and responses, shaping the energy production landscape. Stakeholders' emotional experiences illustrate these unequal interactions. Our research highlights the understudied role of shared emotions and power relations in the context of energy production. Drawing from interviews with key stakeholders, we discuss emotions in the French nuclear debate as they pertain to the operation of power. We argue that shared emotions are illustrative of a remote form of governance that may limit collective organized action and forms of resistance, both of which are central elements of just energy transitions, while maintaining and justifying existing, yet contested, energy production and practices.