After twelve years of waiting, the Flamanville EPR produced its first electrons

2024-09-03 02:29:30

We don’t believe it anymore! It finally took seventeen years of work, twelve years behind schedule, for the Flamanville (Manche) type nuclear reactor EPR, the 57th in the current fleet, to finally start up. For the estimated final price in 2020 by Court of Auditors up to 19.1 billion euros, taking into account the number of “additional financial expenses”, instead of the 3.3 billion originally planned.

The EDF administration announced the news on Monday, September 2. “At 9 pm, our teams in the blocks began to launch the demonstration,” said Régis Clément, deputy director of the nuclear production division. The request for authorization to carry out this “change” was sent to the Nuclear Security Authority (ASN), the guardian of the sector, on August 30. This very important stage is that of chemical bombardment fueled with the first start of neutrons in order to initiate a nuclear fission chain reaction.

One of the largest (and most expensive) industrial enterprises in our entire history

“This makes it possible to start a stable nuclear reaction at a very low power, 0.2% of the nominal power, this is the first step, before a much greater increase in several months,” the deputy director also explained. Before the start of Flamanville 3, the last power plants to enter service are those of Chooz (Ardennes), in 2000 and Civaux (Vienne), in 2002.

Enough to put an end to what will undoubtedly be one of the largest (and most expensive) industrial enterprises in all of our history. The first reactor was laid in 2007, in the same place as two other reactors already in production. Commissioning was then planned five years later, in 2012. Alas! Technical problems, poor workmanship, manufacturing defects, welding defects and other anomalies have accumulated year after year.

Up to this point the project has been threatened with permanent disruption on several occasions. The Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011 did not help matters. According to the desire of François Hollande, elected President of the Republic in 2012, to reduce the share of nuclear energy to 50% in electricity production.

The most powerful reactor in the world

Many environmental protection groups often attacked the authority that authorized the construction of this new generation reactor. Against all the odds, the EDF groups are staying the course, benefiting from 2020 onwards from the return to the favor of technology against the background of the energy crisis, and from the renewal of the sector by Emmanuel Macron.

This start does not, however, mean the start of electricity production. The world’s most powerful reactor (1,650 megawatts, or MW) will first have to reach a quarter of its nominal capacity before being “connected” to the national grid. “This trail, which is made of electric injection, should be done at the end of autumn,” specified further Régis Clément, deputy director of the nuclear production division. Ultimately, if all goes well by the end of the year, this reactor will power the equivalent of three million homes.

Despite the late launch, the Flamanville EPR will be a unique model in France. Three other reactors of this type have been built around the world, two in Taishan in China and one in Olkiluoto in Finland. Two others are still under construction at Hinkley Point in England. But faced with the many technical problems encountered, the decision was taken by EDF to radically change its strategy. The next six reactors planned will be EPR2, a much simpler version of the initial model.