France’s nuclear regulator ASN has authorised state utility and nuclear operator EDF to receive and store fuel for the EPR power reactor under construction at the Flamanville site in northern France.
ASN said in a statement that the fuel will be stored in the storage pool in the unit’s reactor building. ASN also authorised the use of radioactive gases to perform efficiency tests on “certain filtration devices”.
ASN said in a statement that the fuel will be stored in the storage pool in the unit’s reactor building. ASN also authorised the use of radioactive gases to perform efficiency tests on “certain filtration devices”.
ASN carried out an inspection on the Flamanville site in August to assess the EDF’s preparation for fuel reception, handling and storage. “The checks carried out during this inspection showed that the condition of the installation and the operator's level of preparation were satisfactory for the arrival of fuel onsite,” ASN said.
The loading of fuel into the Flamanville EPR, construction of which began in December 2007, is scheduled for the end of 2022.
The Generation III unit is 12 years behind schedule and €4m over budget. ASN said in July that around 100 welds in the reactor circuits need to be repaired before the reactor can be commissioned, although this number was expected to change depending on the results of checks.
