Sept 17 (Askume) – French state energy group EDF said on Tuesday its teams were shutting down the new Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor for technical inspections after the plant triggered a second automatic shutdown this month.
Why is this important?
Flamanville’s new generation EPR reactor is the first nuclear power unit to be integrated into the French grid since the Civaux 2 nuclear reactor in 1999.
Key Quotes
“Starting up the EPR is a long and complex process that involves initial commissioning of the equipment. Additional automatic shutdown and emergency measures may be initiated before the reactor reaches full power,” an EDF spokesperson said in a statement.
situation
After 12 years of delays and setbacks, EDF began decommissioning operations about two weeks ago at its Flamanville 3 nuclear power plant, the first fission nuclear power plant capable of generating electricity.
The reactor was automatically shut down on 4 September, just one day after entering production, due to human error in post-deviation testing.
EDF said on September 7 that it had resumed plant activities and testing to prepare for grid connection procedures planned for late autumn.
what will happen next
An EDF spokesperson said that after determining the technical details of the problem, EDF teams will carry out further inspections and adjustments before resuming operations.
