France’s Autorite de Surete Nucleaire (ASN – Nuclear Safety Authority) on 26 February allowed EDF two additional years, until end of 2020, to install emergency diesel generators at 54 of its 58 domestic nuclear power reactors. ASN ordered EDF to install additional power supply means at all its plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima accident. The decision came after EDF failed to meet a previous deadline of 31 December 2018. “ASN said in a statement that it has decided to modify the commissioning schedule for emergency diesel generators “given the difficulties faced by EDF during construction operations”.
The statement refers to units at the Belleville, Blayais, Bugey, Cattenom, Chinon, Chooz, Civaux, Cruas, Dampierre, Flamanville, Golfech, Gravelines, Nogent, Paluel, Penly, Saint-Alban and Tricastin NPPs. ASN said it “considers that the difficulties encountered by EDF… result in particular from the scale, the complexity of operations and the peculiarities of certain sites”. To date EDF has installed emergency back-up diesel generators only at the St Laurent NPP.
The following day, ASN also urged EDF to improve equipment safety checks at its European pressurised reactor (EPR) under construction at unit 3 of the Flamanville NPP. During inspections in 2017 and 2018, ASN found that traceability of equipment qualification operations at the EPR was “insufficient”, and ordered EDF “to produce and keep the proof of qualification of the reactor equipment”, the statement ASN said.
The purpose of the qualification operations is to demonstrate, through studies and tests, that certain technical and electrical equipment, such as pumps, valves and circuit breakers, is safe to operate under all circumstances. ASN said it would “periodically check the progress” to ensure the safety of material is demonstrated before commissioning the reactor. The Flamanville EPR project is years behind schedule and over-budget, and needs ASN approval before EDF can fully commission the plant, now expected in the second quarter of 2020. EDF plans to load the fuel at the end of this year, but is facing further delays because of faulty welds. The delays have more than tripled the cost of construction to €10.9bn.