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Quand l'énergie fossile aura disparu et que l'usine nucléaire aura fermé, ce sera formidable.

Quand l'énergie fossile aura disparu et que l'usine nucléaire aura fermé, ce sera formidable.
When fossil energy has disappeared and the nuclear plant has closed, it will be wonderful.
From Lesson 375:Avoiding conjunction repetition (que)·French

Questions & Answers about Quand l'énergie fossile aura disparu et que l'usine nucléaire aura fermé, ce sera formidable.

Why do we use "que" instead of repeating "quand" in the second part of the sentence?
In French, it is considered stylistically heavy to repeat subordinating conjunctions like quand, comme, or lorsque when linking multiple clauses with et or ou. Instead, we replace the second (and any subsequent) conjunction with que.
The English translation says "has disappeared" (present perfect). Why does the French use the future perfect (aura disparu)?
In French, after time conjunctions like quand, lorsque, or dès que, if the action happens in the future, a future tense is strictly required. Because the disappearing and closing must happen completely before the situation becomes wonderful, French uses the future perfect (le futur antérieur) to show these are completed future actions.
Does the "que" in "et que l'usine..." require the subjunctive?
Not in this case! When que acts as a stand-in for time conjunctions like quand, comme, or lorsque, it takes the same mood as the original conjunction, which is the indicative. That is why we see the indicative future perfect (aura fermé). Note: If que were replacing si (if), it WOULD require the subjunctive.
L'usine is feminine, so why doesn't the past participle in "aura fermé" have an extra "e" to agree with it?
The verb fermer uses the auxiliary avoir. In compound tenses like the future perfect, past participles conjugated with avoir only agree with a preceding direct object. Because the subject (l'usine nucléaire) comes before the verb but there is no direct object, fermé remains in its default masculine singular form.
Why is it "ce sera" instead of "il sera" for "it will be"?
We use ce (which pairs with être to become c'est, ce sera, etc.) because "it" refers to the general situation or abstract idea just described, not a specific noun. If you were referring back to a specific masculine noun, you would use il.

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