nuclear-news

EDF: fears that Hinkley nuclear will go the disastrous way of Olkiluoto and Flamanville reactors

Britain hopes to showcase nuclear skills at Hinkley Point, Ft.com , 28 Oct 16 “………some in the industry have warned that setting up supply chains may not be straightforward. In France and Finland, new reactors are years late and billions over budget, in part because of problems with suppliers.

When the Finnish Olkiluoto 3 reactor and French Flamanville reactors were started, neither country had built a nuclear plant for decades, leading to years of teething problems and criticism of components that were not up to standard.

In 2008, the French nuclear safety authority asked EDF to suspend part of the project “as a result of the numerous deviations observed in the reinforcement or concreting of the foundation rafts”. It said this “highlighted a lack of rigour” and “problems with supervision”, singling out the oversight of a key Italian supplier.

“EDF had not built a nuclear plant in a long time [when it started on Flamanville],” said Denis Florin, founder of consultancy Lavoisier Conseil. “Its control mechanisms were weakened and had to be reactivated.”

The company says it has learnt from Flamanville. But some within EDF fear that Hinkley could have the same problems. “I want to believe we will not face similar issues, but I am afraid it will be the same story all over again,” said one executive at EDF who has been suspicious about the project from the start….”

October 29, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general