Towards a further delay of the Flamanville EPR and a reprieve for Fessenheim

EDF had announced in April that it had noticed "quality deviations" on welds in the piping of the reactor under construction at Flamanville, whose start-up had so far been planned for the end of the year. They concern the pipes of the main secondary circuit, which connect the steam generator to the turbine which produces the electricity.

The group indicates that "discussions with the Nuclear Safety Authority will continue for a few more weeks" and that "the consequences on the schedule and, if applicable, on the cost of the Flamanville 3 project will be specified by this deadline".

"A delay of a few months from the start of the EPR reactor at Flamanville 3 being one of the hypotheses envisaged, EDF is in a position to continue operating the two reactors at the Fessenheim nuclear power plant until the summer of 2019," said in release the electrician.

The oldest of the French power stations, located in the Haut-Rhin, cannot function after the start-up of Flamanville under a law which limits the French nuclear capacity.

"I take note of the announcement by EDF which is preparing to continue operating Fessenheim until the summer of 2019," reacted the Secretary of State for Ecological Transition Sébastien Lecornu.

"The closure of Fessenheim is complete, irreversible and it is now up to EDF to specify the timetable and communicate in complete transparency," he added in a statement to AFP.

Setbacks

In progress since 2007, the EPR site in Flamanville (Manche) has experienced many setbacks, delays and additional costs.

The loading of fuel and its start-up are officially scheduled for the end of the year, for commercial entry into service in 2019, which is already seven years behind schedule. The cost of the project has also tripled to 10,5 billion euros.

Anomalies had also been discovered on the composition of the steel of the cover and the bottom of the tank. The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) requires that the cover be replaced before the end of 2024.

The nuclear policeman, who deems the current schedule for starting the EPR "more than tense", must give the green light to start up.

ASN reacted strongly to the weld faults revealed in April. Following an inspection of the site, she pointed to "the organization and working conditions during the end-of-production checks" and asked for an extension of the checks.

The entry into service of the EPR, the only one built in France to date, is symbolically important for EDF, which would like to export it beyond the few countries that are already building it (China, where a first reactor is to start soon , Finland and the United Kingdom). India plans in particular to build six reactors and EDF also hopes to be able to sell EPRs to Saudi Arabia.

"Imposture"

As for Fessenheim, the announcement of a possible continuation of its operation made jump the anti-nuclear associations, which claim for a long time its closure. The plant has become a symbol because of its age (40 years), its proximity to Germany and the repeated problems with its number 2 reactor.

"This is an EDF sham," said Cyrille Cormier of Greenpeace.

"The energy transition law in no way links the closure of Fessenheim to the opening of Flamanville. On the contrary, the objective of the law to reduce the share of nuclear power (in electricity production) to 50% here 2025 justifies the closure of Fessenheim in 2018 ", he judges. This 50% target was actually postponed by the government, which considered it unrealistic.

For workers at the plant, worried about their future, the respite will only be short-lived. "The territorial project we are working on for Fessenheim and its region continues, without any change," says Sébastien Lecornu, responsible for preparing the economic conversion of the site and its surroundings.