EDF delays new 1.6 GW Flamanville-3 reactor start-up into Q2 2023

The start of France's new 1.6 GW Flamanville-3 reactor has been delayed with fuel loading now scheduled to start in Q2 2023 rather than end-2022, developer EDF said Jan. 12.

Estimated cost upon completion was lifted by Eur300 million to Eur12.7 billion, it said.

Repairs to welds on the reactor were successfully completed and deemed compliant by nuclear safety regulator ASN, it added.

Fuel to be used in the first operating cycle of the reactor is already on site, but several operations remain to be carried out before fuel loading, start-up tests and granting authorization by the ASN:

• completion of the weld upgrade of the main secondary circuit,
• a new series of qualification tests of the installation;
• feedback from technical issues at the Taishan 1 EPR in China.

Inspections carried out at Taishan 1 during its second fuel cycle showed wear of certain assembly components, EDF said, adding that such wear had already been identified in several French reactors and does not question the design of the EPR.

Construction for the first new French reactor in a generation started in 2007 with estimated costs doubling after the Fukushima incident.

in 2012, EDF announced a delay to 2016, with costs estimated at Eur8.5 billion.

When EDF first flagged the welds issue in 2018, fuel loading was set to start end-2019 with final construction costs pegged at Eur10.9 billion.

S&P Global Platts Analytics assumes full operations at Flamanville 3 to start in January 2024.

France's nuclear fleet with 61 GW installed is set for record-low generation this winter amid a fault on welds impacting four reactors at Chooz and Civaux with 5.6 GW capacity.

2021 French nuclear output rose 7% on year to 360 TWh, the second-lowest for the current fleet.