The nuclear gendarme atomises EDF for its “failures” in Flamanville. This is a real uproar pushed by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN): in a notice published on Wednesday , the atomic gendarme accuses EDF of “failure” in its monitoring of the site of the EPR de Flamanville, in the Channel, and sum the electrician “to extend the review of the quality of equipment installed on this reactor” . At issue, the famous problem of defective welds identified on the secondary circuit used to evacuate the water vapor produced by the nuclear reactor of 1650 MW, which forced EDF to postpone the commissioning of the EPR to 2020, as the had revealed Liberation in July .
Le Monde 3rd Oct 2018 read more »
Faulty weldings at the nuclear plant that French utility EDF is building in Flamanville, Normandy, may require more repairs than originally estimated and EDF will have to review materials on the site, the ASN nuclear regulator said in a statement. In July, problems with the weldings forced EDF again to delay the start-up date for the troubled Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to the second quarter of 2020. It also pushed its cost estimate up to three times the original budget. EDF said then that a total of 53 weldings on Flamanville’s secondary circuit would have to be redone, while for another 10 it was confident it could convince the ASN that they were fit for service. Another 85 needed no repairs, it said. The ASN said on Wednesday that a programme of major tests would be necessary to verify whether eight weldings were indeed fit for service, as EDF has argued.
Reuters 3rd Oct 2018 read more »
Watchdog warns EDF over weldings at flagship new nuclear plant. France’s nuclear regulator has said that EDF’s flagship next-generation nuclear plant at Flamanville might need further work due to faulty weldings which have already delayed the project. In July, EDF said there would be further delays and cost overruns due to problems with the weldings. It pushed back the loading of nuclear fuel and the target construction costs at the late and over-budget plant. The state-backed energy utility said at the time that out of the 148 inspected welds, 33 had quality deficiencies and would be repaired. It said a further 20 would be reworked “even though they do not have any defects” while for another 10 it would submit a proposal to the ASN to convince the regulator of their safety. Now, the ASN has suggested, subject to further tests, that 8 of those 10 welds may need further work. The regulator said it “invites EDF to begin preparations on possible repair work to the welds concerned,” in a statement on Wednesday.
FT 3rd Oct 2018 read more »
The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) warned Wednesday EDF that its program for repairing defective welds on the EPR Flamanville (Channel) should be accompanied by “important technical work” while calling for an analysis of malfunctions in site management.
Les Echos 3rd Oct 2018 read more »