AREVA said Friday that it was continuing on several levels with the investigation of manufacturing and paperwork anomalies that involve components made at the Le Creusot forge. In April 2015, an audit of records at the forge found numerous discrepancies. The investigation, however, began with the discovery during an inspection at the Flamanville EPR reactor at the end of 2014. The French nuclear regulator Autorite de Surete Nucleaire (the Authority for Nuclear Safety) said it had published the list of irregularities detected so far involving the anomalies that affected certain items manufactured by AREVA NP’s Creusote Forge plant for French nuclear reactors. These irregularities concern EDF reactor pressure equipment (vessels, steam generators and main primary system piping) and transport packagings for radioactive substances, the regulator said. To date AREVA NP has identified 87 irregularities concerning EDF reactors in operation, 20 affecting equipment intended for the Flamanville EPR reactor, one affecting a steam generator intended, but not yet installed in the reactor 5 of Gravelines Nuclear Power Plant and four affecting transport packagings for activated substances. Electricite de France (EDF) informed the regulator that it had completed the characterizations of the irregularities affecting its reactors in service. The utility, similar to AREVA NP, has determined that “these irregularities have no consequences for the safety of the reactors concerned,” said ASN. The ASN said that whatever the outcome of these investigations, the irregularities “reveal unacceptable practices.” The reviews need to continue “and are liable to bring further irregularities to light,” the regulator said.
Nuclear Street 26th Sept 2016 read more »
French state-controlled utility EDF said on Wednesday it would carry out more tests on 12 nuclear reactors during their planned outages in the coming months, which could affect the length of the outage period for some of the reactors. French year-ahead electricity prices, rose alongside European forward power contracts to hit one-year highs on Wednesday on fears of tight French nuclear supply in the months ahead.
Reuters 28th Sept 2016 read more »