The French Nuclear Safety Authority has called for lengthy and costly repairs to be carried out on the structures of the new reactor on the English Channel.
On Wednesday 19 June, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (Asn) confirmed that it had asked the company Edf to repair eight welds between the two containment structures of the new EPR reactor under construction at Flamanville on the English Channel. It may seem a minor detail, but it is in fact a matter of crucial importance from the standpoint of safety standards. And one that will in all likelihood lead to further, significant delays against the timetables set by the Paris authorities.
Construction of the third-generation nuclear reactor began in 2007. And it was supposed to be completed – according to the original plans – in 2012. All at a cost of €3.5 billion. According to a report by the daily Le Monde, however, taking into account the latest setback as well, "commissioning will not happen, at best, before the end of 2022".
Costs, at the same time, "are expected to exceed €11 billion". It was partly for this reason that Edf had tried every means possible to convince the Asn to give the green light for the reactor to enter service with the existing welds, promising to repair them only in 2024. But the head of the regulatory authority, Bernard Doroszczuk, did not agree.
The problem for Edf is that carrying out the required work is not straightforward. The structures to be repaired are located inside the structures designed to "contain" the reactor in the event of an accident – that is, between two extremely solid barriers built to withstand the impact of an aircraft.
"It will therefore probably be necessary to break through a section of the concrete – Le Monde warns further –. Which will prove to be lengthy and costly. Then, once the section to be treated has been reached, the welding work alone could take as long as eight weeks." All of this comes alongside a workforce problem: "The nuclear supply chain is suffering from a shortage of qualified personnel. And asking the few skilled workers available to rush in entails an additional cost."
Once the work is completed, the results will also need to be submitted to the Asn again to obtain its approval. The Paris daily cites in this regard a "senior official" who comments on the latest news as follows: "All these difficulties are the fruit of the incredible arrogance of Edf, which launched the construction site when the project had not yet been fully defined." The result is that the construction timeline has tripled. And costs have shot through the roof.
