The steel anomalies in the reactor vessel of the EPR in Flamanville and many steam generators have led to one of the most serious crises faced by the French nuclear industry. The report of the High Committee on Transparency and Information on Nuclear Safety (HCTISN) highlights the absence of precise information from Areva and EdF on the serious problems affecting the reactor vessel of the Flamanville EPR . The finding would be the same for steam generators. ACRO, therefore calls for more transparency. The association made an inventory of the available documentation and reconstructed a chronology of the events on a dedicated website: http://transparence-nucleaire.eu.org.
Nuclear Transparency Watch 23rd June 2017 read more »
[Machine Translation] The tests carried out by Areva have confirmed that the steel in the center of the three caps sacrificed for the occasion is more fragile because of the too high concentration of carbon. We can therefore expect the same for the EPRs of Flamanville and Taishan in China. But Areva and EDF think that the tank remains safe thanks to the margins. In other words, safety margins have been cut and ASN and IRSN consider that this should be compensated. How? One possibility is to strengthen controls. Indeed, if cracks appear in the area where there is too much carbon, they will withstand a shock. However, the tank must not drop in the event of a sudden change in pressure and temperature, as this would be the serious accident. If, for the moment, there is no detectable crack, this must be monitored over time. As early as 2015, ASN therefore asked EDF for a monitoring strategy, but Areva considered it unnecessary!
ACRO 28th June 2017 read more »