The French Nuclear Safety & Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR – L’Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire et de Radioprotection) has found “hints” of stress corrosion at unit 2 of EDF’s Civaux NPP, according to a report in La Tribune. The phenomenon has been observed on pipes that have already been repaired.
EDF had to close some of its fleet between 2022 and 2023 due to stress corrosion problems found in the pipes of safety systems at multiple reactors resulting a 34% reduction in output and costly repairs. Reuters cited an EDF spokesperson as saying that an inspection is underway at Civaux 2 in order to perform annual maintenance.
No one can say or affirm that we will not find new corrosion problems, Bernard Doroszczuk, former president Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) said during his last hearing before the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific & Technological Choices (OPECST), in May 2024. “Don’t let your guard down.”
La Tribune said EDF teams could, once again, face a stress corrosion problem at Civaux 2 with respect to sections of pipes and, more particularly, the components that have already been changed, citing “a source close to the case”. The source added that the question of a prolonged technical shutdown is possible. The 1,450 MWe Civaux 2 is currently as part of a scheduled maintenance and refuelling outage.
