The 425t vessel was lifted by gantry crane and then positioned in the reactor pit located in the center of the reactor building under the supervision of the French nuclear safety authority, ASN, thus accelerating the installation work at the site.
Installation of other components of the nuclear steam supply system, including the steam generators and the pressurizer is set to be carried out Areva and EDF in the coming months.
Designed with a total output of 1,650MW to supply electricity to 1.5 million people, the EPR reactor is scheduled to generate its first kilowatt-hours in 2016.
The construction of Flamanville EPR started in December 2007.