The French nuclear safety authority (ASN) has given a positive opinion to EDF to extend the operating life of reactor number 1 at the Tricastin power plant (Drôme) by ten years, a first for the French nuclear industry beyond 40 years, according to an opinion released to AFP on Monday.
ASN green light for Tricastin power plant: Continued operation confirmed after fourth periodic review
This reactor “is the first reactor in the French nuclear fleet on which the ASN is taking a position at the end of its fourth periodic review, i.e. after some 40 years of operation”, the authority stated in a notice published on August 10. In 2021, the ASN took a position on the generic phase of the fourth periodic review of 900 MW reactors, such as those at Tricastin, “which focused on points common to all these reactors”, it recalls in this opinion. The ASN had thus “considered that all the provisions planned by EDF and those it had prescribed opened up the prospect of continued operation of these reactors for the ten years following their fourth periodic review”.
After an in-depth examination specific to the Tricastin reactor, “ASN considers that the conclusions of the fourth periodic review of the reactor, the actions planned by EDF and those taken in response to the ASN decision (…) enable the objectives set for this periodic review to be achieved”, ASN states in this notice, confirming information revealed by Les Echos. The ASN’s opinion “indicates that the reactor can continue to operate until its next examination” and therefore its next ten-yearly inspection, Yves Guannel, head of the “aggressions and safety re-examinations” office at the ASN’s Nuclear Power Plants Directorate, told AFP.
Towards extended nuclear longevity: Success of the ‘Grand carénage’ program and prospects for operation beyond 60 years
This extension was made possible by the work undertaken by EDF as part of its “Grand carénage” program, carried out since 2014 to renovate France’s nuclear fleet and increase the safety level of reactors in order to continue operating them significantly beyond 40 years. It nevertheless takes on particular resonance, a few months after the Elysée announced the “launch of studies to prepare the extension of the lifespan of existing power plants to 60 years and beyond”, pending the construction of new-generation EPR2 reactors.
The cost of the “grand carénage”, a program to modernize and extend the lifespan of power plants beyond 40 years, is estimated at around 66 billion euros. The government is also planning a program of six to 14 EPR reactors, estimated at 51.7 billion for the first six.
For extensions like Tricastin 1, safety targets are “aligned” with those set for the latest-generation reactors, Mr. Guannel assured us. In particular, he referred to “a new level of heat wave hazards”, to ensure that the reactor can withstand “higher levels of temperature than had been foreseen at the design stage”.
