Name of the Project
Flamanville 3 European pressurised reactor (EPR) project.
Location
France.
Client
Électricité de France (EDF).
Project Description
The Flamanville EPR is the first nuclear power station to be built in France in the past 15 years and the first third-generation-type plant.
The nuclear plant will have a net electricity output of 1 650 MWe.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Value
EDF announced this month that it has revised the cost of the project from €8-billion to €10.5-billion.
Duration
Work began at the site in December 2007. First fuel loading and start-up of the reactor has been revised from 2017 to the fourth quarter of 2018, a year later than initially announced.
Latest Developments
EDF completed the cold functional test phase for the Flamanville EPR on January 6 this year. This stage is part of the system performance testing, which started in the first quarter of 2017.
The cold functional test phase tests the leak performance on the primary system at a pressure greater than 240 bar (higher than the pressure of this system in operation), with more than 500 welds inspected during this hydrostatic testing, supervised by the Nuclear Safety Authority.
Hot functional testing is scheduled to start in July 2018 to demonstrate the good working order of the plant by testing components at temperature and pressure levels similar to those inoperating conditions.
More than 1 000 EDF and industry partner engineers and technicians have been mobilised to perform these system performance tests.
Fuel loading and start-up of Flamanville are expected at the end of the last quarter of 2018.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Areva (nuclear steam supply system), Bouygues (civil work) and Alstom (turbine island).
On Budget and on Time?
Start-up of the project has been revised from 2017 to 2018 and the cost of the project has escalated from €8-billion to €10.5-billion.
Contact Details for Project Information
EDF, Véronique Ferdinand, tel +33 2 33 78 59 93 or email Veronique.ferdinand@edf.fr.
Areva, Alexandre Thébault, tel +331 34 96 12 15, fax +331 34 96 16 54 or email press@areva.com.
Bouygues, tel +33 1 30 60 33 00, fax +33 1 30 60 48 61 or email communication@bouygues-construction.com.