The most important nuclear reactor in France is lastly offering energy to the nation’s grid, greater than a decade after it was anticipated to enter business operation.
Flamanville 3, an EPR reactor situated in Normandy, sustained a collection of technical setbacks over the previous a number of years. The 1,600-MW unit, now the most-powerful producing unit in France, started offering electrical energy on Dec. 21. It was initially anticipated to return on-line 12 years in the past.
Luc Remont, CEO of Électricité de France (EDF), the Paris-based state-owned multinational utility firm, in a press release confirmed the startup of Flamanville 3. French President Emmanuel Macron in a press release on social media mentioned it was a “Nice second for the nation,” noting the unit is “one of many world’s strongest nuclear reactors.” Macron added, “Re-industrialising to provide low-carbon power is ecology French fashion.”
The primary EPR got here on-line in 2018 when Unit 1 on the Taishan website in China entered business operation. Two different EPRs are presently in service: Taishan 2 in China, and at Olkiluoto in Finland. The Olkiluoto unit got here on-line final yr, 14 years after it was initially supposed to be commissioned.
‘Historic’ Occasion for France
Remont mentioned startup of Flamanville 3 is “historic,” noting, “The final time a reactor began up in France was 25 years in the past at Civaux 2,” referring to the Civaux energy plant in southwestern France.
France receives about 62% of its electrical energy from nuclear energy, based on the World Nuclear Affiliation (WNA). The group mentioned the nation has almost 60 operable reactors, with about 64 GW of era capability.
Flamanville 3’s value is estimated at about 13.2 billion euros ($13.76 billion), about 4 occasions its preliminary estimated value of three.3 billion euros. The reactor was began up on Sept. 3 of this yr, however sustained what was known as an “automated shutdown” the following day. That resulted in additional testing on the website, and a gradual ramp-up to Saturday’s grid connection.
Macron has pledged so as to add extra nuclear energy to France’s era fleet. His authorities in 2022 ordered six EPR2 reactors, a simplified model of the EPR design. EDF and Framatome are creating the EPR2. Macron has mentioned he’s contemplating choices for eight extra EPR2 items along with the six already ordered.
The primary six EPR2 reactors are set to be put in in pairs on the Penly, Gravelines, and Bugey energy stations.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
