2023-08-21 21:18:39
He too sees his retirement slipping away. Reactor 1 of the Tricastin nuclear power plant, in the Drôme, saw the extension of its operation for 10 additional years validated by the nuclear safety authority (ASN), we learned on Monday.
After a review of the reactor, the ASN concluded that it “can continue to operate until its next review”, namely its next ten-year review, said the head of the “attacks and safety reviews” office of the gendarme nuclear, confirming information from echoes.
This announcement comes as no surprise. According to a notice published on August 10, this is the “first reactor in the French nuclear fleet on which the ASN takes a position following its fourth periodic review, i.e. after approximately 40 years of operation”.
The fruit of a 66 billion euro program
In 2021, the authority had already considered that “all the provisions planned by EDF and those it had prescribed opened up the prospect of continued operation of these reactors for the ten years following their fourth periodic review”.
This extension is the culmination of the “Grand carénage” program, carried out by EDF since 2014 to renovate the French nuclear fleet and improve their safety in order to continue their operation beyond 40 years. The cost of this program is estimated at 66 billion euros.
But the nuclear fleet could see its retirement back a little more. A few months ago, the government had launched studies “to prepare for the extension of the life of existing power plants to 60 years and beyond”.
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