A Nuclear Reactor Is Almost Ready To Power France, 12 Years And 13.2 Billion Euros Later

Electricité de France (EDF) recently announced that the Flamanville European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) nuclear power plant will not be connected to the electricity grid until autumn 2024, three months later than initially planned. This adds to an existing twelve-year delay, according to a report from Energy News.

The French nuclear safety authority (ASN) has approved the reactor, but more tests are needed on the “coupling” process to reach 25% power. Divergence operations, marking the start of controlled nuclear reactions, are set to begin this week and are expected to take approximately 10 hours, as explained by Régis Clément, Deputy Director of EDF’s Nuclear Generation Division. The reactor’s power capacity will be upgraded in stages.

The Flamanville project has been beset by construction and technical difficulties for years. Significant delays have been brought on by weld flaws, slab cracks in concrete, and steel anomalies in the reactor. Due to these issues, the project’s cost has increased from its initial 2007 estimate of 3.3 billion euros to 13.2 billion euros, with the possibility of going up to 19 billion euros.

Nevertheless, EDF has raised its nuclear production estimate for 2024 from 315 to 345 TWh to between 340 and 360 TWh, notwithstanding these disruptions. This positive revision is a result of other reactors now in operation performing better.

The Flamanville EPR is a central component of France’s nuclear strategy. President Emmanuel Macron recently ordered the construction of six EPR2 reactors, with the option to build eight more. These reactors are designed for increased efficiency and safety. However, the ongoing delays at Flamanville raise concerns about future projects.

Critics argue that France’s focus on nuclear energy, emphasized by its latest energy bill, sidelines wind and solar power. Nevertheless, the French government insists that nuclear power is essential to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal shared by many EU countries.