Quality deviations have been detected on certain welds of the main secondary system in the EPR reactor under construction at Flamanville, northern France, EDF announced today. The utility has informed the French regulator of the discovery, but has yet to determine whether the unit's start-up, expected at the end of this year, will be delayed.
The first test simulating an accident situation in a pressurised water reactor has been successfully completed at the CABRI research reactor in Cadarache, southern France. The test was part of an international research programme aimed at improving knowledge of nuclear fuel behaviour during an accident involving a sudden increase of power.
A demonstration test of a process to decontaminate radioactive soil was successfully carried out last November in Japan's Fukushima Prefecture, France's Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission announced on 11 April. The technology was developed by CEA, Orano and Veolia.
EDF should consider extending checks on welds in the main secondary system of the EPR reactor under construction at Flamanville to other systems, the French nuclear safety regulator has said. Welding flaws were not detected during the manufacturing checks performed by subcontractors of Framatome but were identified during pre-service inspections by EDF prior to commissioning.
France's nuclear regulator has lifted the suspension of the serviceability certificate for one of the three steam generators installed at unit 2 of EDF's Fessenheim nuclear power plant. The certificate was suspended in July 2016 due to anomalies in the steel of the steam generator's lower shell.
An Industrial Way Forward Agreement signed on 10 March by the CEOs of EDF and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) sets out the industrial framework and planned timetable for the implementation of six EPR reactors at Jaitapur, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the partners.