nuclear-news

France’s Flamanville nuclear reactor: swelling costs, and more delays

New Economy 25th July 2018 The cost of EDF’s new Flamanville nuclear reactor has swelled to more
than three times the French state-owned utility’s original budget after
further issues were revealed in the construction process. EDF said target
construction costs had risen by €400m ($468m) to €10.9bn ($12.7bn).

Already seven years behind schedule, the project will now be delayed by
another year, with the loading of nuclear fuel not expected until the
fourth quarter of 2019. In April, EDF revealed that problems with the
weldings at its flagship nuclear site could impact the project’s costs
and timetable following an assessment by the French Nuclear Safety
Authority.

On July 25, EDF said 33 of 148 inspected welds were found to
have “quality deficiencies” and would be repaired: “EDF teams and
their industrial partners are fully mobilised and are continuing all other
assembly and testing activities at the Flamanville [European Pressurised
Reactor (EPR)], including the system performance tests.” France’s
Flamanville project is one of three EPRs currently being built across
Europe.

The third-generation technology has taken decades to develop and
aims to improve safety, as well as reduce costs. EDF is also building the
Olkiluoto 3 project in Finland and Hinkley Point C in the UK, both of which
are also behind schedule.
https://www.theneweconomy.com/energy/edf-reveals-further-cost-overruns-and-delays-to-its-flamanville-nuclear-reactor

July 27, 2018 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France, politics