Flamanville EPR: ASN gives the green light to postpone the replacement of the defective cover

The French nuclear safety authority (ASN) has accepted the postponement of the replacement of the defective cover of the Flamanville EPR reactor vessel until 2025. This deferral is due to manufacturing anomalies in the cover and will require a global maintenance visit during 2025.

Share:

The nuclear safety authority (ASN) has accepted that EDF postpone to 2025 the replacement of the defective cover of the Flamanville EPR reactor, which is supposed to enter into service in the first quarter of 2024, after a 12-year delay, the nuclear safety watchdog said Friday.

The ASN explained that “the replacement of the reactor vessel cover before the commissioning of the reactor would lead to a postponement of about one year”. Until now, the safety authority had set December 31, 2024 as the deadline for replacing the cover, which would have forced EDF to shut down its EPR only a few months after its start-up, scheduled for the first quarter of next year.

In a decision of 16 May published on its website, the ASN has agreed to wait for the first full operating cycle of the EPR, i.e. between “15 and 18 months” before changing the part, as requested by the nuclear manufacturer Framatome. The replacement of the tank cover, which has “manufacturing anomalies”, will have to be done in conjunction with a first global maintenance visit planned for 2025. It will last between 4 and 9 months according to the operator EDF.

“The manufacture of the replacement cover is underway at Framatome” for a delivery “scheduled for the end of summer 2024,” the ASN said. This is a crucial part, since it covers the tank that contains the nuclear fuel. The deadline to replace the cover had been stopped by the ASN in 2018, but at the time, the reactor was scheduled to start up in the fall of 2019. In the meantime, the timetable has slipped: “hazards that have occurred since then have led to the commissioning of the reactor being envisaged during the first quarter of 2024”, the ASN recalls.

The ASN specifies that “in the event of a further significant delay in the project, the operator will have to re-examine the possibility of replacing the cover before the reactor is commissioned. After a new delay of 6 months announced in December, the start-up of this reactor, the first of this generation planned on French soil, will take place 12 years after the initial planning. These delays have led to an explosion in the cost of the project, which was launched in 2007 and now stands at 13.2 billion euros, according to EDF, four times the initial budget of 3.3 billion euros.

  • Populaires ​
United States selects Westinghouse and Radiant to test their nuclear microreactors
US oil inventories unexpectedly rise by 3.8 million barrels
Global Oil Exploration Investments Decline, a First Since 2020
TotalEnergies sells 50% of its renewable assets in Portugal for €178.5mn
Madagascar signs with Global South Utilities to develop up to 250 MW solar
Lithuanian nuclear operator SE Ignalina signs agreement with Newcleo
SE Ignalina, the Lithuanian nuclear operator, has signed a memorandum of understanding with French firm Newcleo to explore the integration of small modular reactors (SMRs) using lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology in Lithuania.
Egypt: Supplementary agreements signed for the El Dabaa nuclear power plant
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi oversaw the signing of new agreements for the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant, thus strengthening the strategic cooperation between Egypt and Russia.
Vistra obtains approval to extend Perry nuclear plant operations
Vistra Corp receives green light to extend Perry nuclear plant operations in Ohio by 20 years, securing regional electricity supply until 2046 and ensuring operational continuity for all its nuclear reactors in the United States.
EDF injects €1.3 billion into Sizewell C, its second British EPR
EDF will hold a 12.5% stake in the Sizewell C nuclear project in the UK, a €1.3 billion investment announced during Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to London, confirming the strategic nuclear energy alignment between the two countries.
France: Cigéo nuclear waste underground storage project makes significant progress
The French Cigéo project, designed to bury the most hazardous radioactive waste deep underground, obtains a crucial technical validation before its final authorization, expected by the end of 2027.
EDF launches its nuclear Technocentre in Fessenheim, estimated investment of €450 million
EDF confirms the continuation of its industrial project in Fessenheim for recycling very low-level radioactive metals, a first in France requiring specific regulatory authorizations, following a public debate concluded last February.
NANO Nuclear signs strategic agreement with UrAmerica on Argentine uranium
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. formalizes its collaboration with UrAmerica Ltd. to strengthen Argentina’s uranium supply, aiming to secure future nuclear fuel supply chains for the U.S. market.
SHINE and Standard Nuclear form strategic partnership on recycled fuel
American companies SHINE Technologies and Standard Nuclear partner to recycle uranium and plutonium, supplying advanced fuel to the nuclear reactor sector and enhancing the national energy security of the United States.
Floating nuclear power plants evaluated to supply Mediterranean regions
The American Bureau of Shipping and two nuclear sector companies are studying the potential deployment of floating nuclear power plants to meet the energy needs of island and coastal regions in the Mediterranean, notably via electricity and desalination.
Lithuania explores nuclear option with small modular reactors
Lithuania establishes a working group tasked with assessing the feasibility of modular nuclear reactors to meet electricity demand estimated at 74 TWh by 2050.
Framatome wins two major contracts to extend Belgian nuclear operations
Framatome has secured two significant contracts from Electrabel covering modernisation and technical support for the Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear reactors, as part of their extension agreed upon between Engie and the Belgian government.
Egypt accelerates El-Dabaa national grid connection for 2026
Cairo is stepping up connection works for the planned 4,800 MW El-Dabaa nuclear plant, developed with Rosatom, to feed the grid from 2026 with output equal to about seven % of national electricity.
EDF postpones restart of Flamanville EPR to August 13
EDF extends Flamanville EPR's shutdown to August 13 to conduct technical checks on three valves of the reactor's primary circuit, initially scheduled to resume production this week.
GE Vernova and Fortum launch major nuclear project in Scandinavia
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Fortum announce partnership aimed at preparing for the potential deployment of small modular reactors in Finland and Sweden, with commissioning scheduled for the 2030s.
Energy Fuels extracts 638,700 pounds of uranium at Pinyon Plain mine
Energy Fuels Inc. announced record production of 638,700 pounds of uranium during the second quarter of 2025 at its Pinyon Plain mine in Arizona, significantly surpassing initial site performance forecasts.
Argentina and Peru strengthen cooperation in civil nuclear sector
Argentina and Peru have signed an agreement expanding their scientific and technological cooperation in the civil nuclear field, including joint research projects and specialised training programmes for future development.
World Bank resumes nuclear financing after decades of absence
After several decades without funding nuclear projects, the World Bank has formed a strategic partnership with the IAEA to provide technical and financial support to countries integrating nuclear energy into their energy strategies.
Seoul approves definitive decommissioning of South Korea’s first nuclear reactor
South Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission officially validates the decommissioning of reactor number one at the Kori plant, initiating an unprecedented project for the national industry scheduled to last until 2037.
EnCore Energy raises uranium output and hails Texas nuclear reforms
Uranium producer enCore Energy surpasses three thousand pounds per day at its Alta Mesa ISR complex and sees three new Texas laws as a strong signal for faster nuclear production permits.
IAEA Confirms Concerns About Iranian Enriched Uranium Stockpile
The International Atomic Energy Agency expresses concerns over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles following the abrupt suspension of inspections at key sites disrupted by recent attacks whose consequences remain uncertain.

LEGAL

FOSSILS

POLICY

RENEWABLE

PLUS

© XMARKET PUBLISHING