Monday, December 12, 2016

Seven of the eight nuclear reactors of EDF to stop will restart before the end of December – The World

The 5 December, the nuclear safety Authority (ASN) had authorised, under the condition, the restart of seven nuclear reactors subject to security controls.

The threat of blackouts this winter goes away. Seven reactors among the eight currently shut down for checks on their steam generators will be able to restart by the end of the month of December, has assured Monday, December 12, Dominique Miniere, executive director in charge of nuclear and thermal EDF, specifying :

” We are in a position to confirm the dates of return of seven slices (…), they will be returned to the end of December. “

On 5 December last year, the nuclear safety Authority (ASN) had given its green light under a condition of the restart of the seven reactors. Since then, she has allowed EDF to proceed to the first step of the return to service of three of them : Tricastin 3, Gravelines 2 and Dampierre 3.

EDF plans to restart the 20 December, while the other four (Tricastin 1 and 4, Bugey 4 and Civaux 2) will restart by the end of the year, has detailed the head of EDF. Folders restarting ” will be sent this week “ to the ASN, said Philippe Sasseigne, director of nuclear operations at EDF.

Read also : France risk-does it have power cuts ?

In June, the ASN asked EDF to conduct additional testing on the steam generators fitted to 18 reactors, following the detection of an excessive concentration of carbon in the steel of their steam generators, a fault that could weaken their resistance. Seven of these reactors have already been tested and have restarted.

15 shutdown reactors on 58

With the shutdown of Fessenheim 1, occurred on Saturday, 10 December, eight units are now stationary, in the framework of these controls. ASN ” examines the elements “ reactors and ” for some of them, it is pending of the complementary elements of the part of EDF “, she said.

the other Three reactors (Tricastin 2, Gravelines 4 and Civaux 1) must be arrested in the coming weeks in order to undergo the same checks. Gravelines 4 will be shut down ” weekend “, said Mr. Sasseigne. For the other two reactors, EDF was asked by the ASN to be able to move ” a few weeks “ will be shutdown, and the group waits for the answer of the constable of nuclear power, said Mr. Sasseigne.

90 % of the nuclear fleet will be available in January

In January, EDF discount have its nuclear fleet available ” 90 % “, with ” a 5-to 6 reactors at the stop “, in the case where the ASN accepts the request of an offset, he added. In this context, the group confirmed its objectives for nuclear generation for 2016 and 2017, namely a range between 378 and 385 terawatt-hours this year and a range between 390 and 400 terawatt-hours for the next year.

These forecasts, like those on the gross operating surplus had been revised downward in November. In total, 15 reactors out of the 58 in the French park were shut down on Monday for a variety of reasons.

Read also : One third of the nuclear fleet EDF is stopped

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