Before commissioning the French nuclear power reactor, EDF has to complete the weld upgrade of the main secondary circuit and undertake a new series of qualification tests of the installation ahead of fuel loading
Construction on the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor was started in 2007. (Credit: schoella/Wikimedia Commons)
Électricité de France (EDF) has yet again pushed back the operational date of the 1.6GW Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in France, this time by up to six months, while the estimated cost has been increased by €300m to reach €12.7bn.
Originally, the third reactor at the Flamanville nuclear power plant was scheduled to begin operations in 2012 itself at a projected cost of €3.3bn. Construction works on the European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) had begun in December 2007.
EDF said that the commissioning date has been changed after considering the progress of the operations and the preparation for start-up, which have been impacted by Covid-19. Prior to the pandemic, Flamanville 3 was plagued by various factors such as welding problems, a fire accident, and others.
The French electric utility company has rescheduled the fuel loading date from the end of this year to the second trimester of 2023.
EDF said that it wrapped up the most complex operations of repairing the penetration welds on the reactor building. The repairs have been considered compliant by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), said the company.
As per the operating fleet procedures, the fuel assemblies used in the first operating cycle of the European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) have been stored by the company in the fuel building.
EDF stated: “Over 55,000 documentary checks and verifications have been carried out on the installations, regarding more than 7,000 pieces of equipment that are important for safety.”
Prior to loading the fuel into the reactor vessel and taking up the overall start-up tests, EDF plans to complete the weld upgrade of the main secondary circuit. The company also intends to undertake a new series of qualification tests of the installation before the commissioning.
Located in the Normandy region, the Flamanville nuclear power plant has two operating pressurized water reactors that generate 1.3GW of power each. The first reactor started operations in 1986, while the second was brought into service nearly a year later.