France’s ailing nuclear giant, Areva, faced a major scandal on Tuesday after the country’s nuclear watchdog confirmed there have been “irregularities” in 400 parts produced in its reactors since 1965, and that “around 50 are currently in service in France’s nuclear power plant fleet”. France’s independent Nuclear Safety Authority, ASN, said the “irregularities” were listed in an audit it had ordered from Areva after it detected a “very serious anomaly” in a reactor vessel in the country’s Flamanville EPR nuclear plant, the same model Britain plans to use for two new plants at Hinkley Point. The fault in the vessel destined to house the plant’s nuclear fuel and confine its radioactivity was detected last year. “These irregularities consist in incoherencies, modifications or omissions in manufacturing dossiers,” ASN said in a statement. The revelation came hours after Areva’s director general admitted that 400 documents assessing whether parts of nuclear plants met required standards may have been “falsified”.
Telegraph 3rd May 2016 read more »
Irregularities have been found in around 50 Areva-made components installed in French nuclear reactors, nuclear regulator ASN said on Tuesday. It said that after the discovery of weak spots in the reactor vessel of the EPR reactor under construction in Flamanville, France last year, Areva began a review of manufacturing procedures at its Creusot steel forging plant. In a statement, ASN said it had been informed by Areva that its investigation had found evidence of irregularities in about 400 components produced since 1965, of which some 50 are believed to be in use in French nuclear plants.
Reuters 3rd May 2016 read more »
Daily Mail 3rd May 2016 read more »
The investigation launched after the discovery of “anomalies” in the structure of the Flamanville nuclear plant in France have revealed inconsistencies in the production records of nuclear components manufactured at a factory in Le Creusot. The European Pressurised Reactor is touted as the safest in the world, but delays in construction in France, Finland and China are turning the new-generation plants into a financial nightmare. The ESR may now have to be scrapped as the fragility at the base of the lid is too dangerous to ignore.
Euro News 3rd May 2016 read more »
French state-owned nuclear group Areva said on Monday that some reports on manufacturing and quality control at its Creusot Forge unit, which supplies the nuclear market with large forgings and castings, may have been falsified.The company commissioned an external review of the subsidiary last year to identify the causes of possible flaws in its practices and quality control after weak spots were found in the steel of the EPR nuclear reactor it is building for utility EDF in Flamanville.
Reuters 2nd May 2016 read more »