23 Feb (NucNet): French state-controlled power group EDF said some weldings on its new Flamanville-3 nuclear reactor did not meet required specifications, but this would not affect safety or the schedule to start up the plant at the end of 2018.
The company said 38 of 66 weldings on the Flamanville-3 EPR unit’s secondary cooling circuit were not in line with standards aimed at making them rupture-proof.
But they did meet requirements from French nuclear regulator ASN for nuclear equipment under pressure, the company said.
EDF said in a statement on the Flamanville reactor’s website that deviations had been detected in the quality of the weldings in pipes transferring steam from the steam generator to the power turbine.
“EDF has started analysis aimed at proving that the mechanical characteristics of the circuit are in line with expectations, within deadlines compatible with the project planning,” it said.
The problem was first identified in the workshops of third-party suppliers to Framatome, formerly called Areva, in 2015 and 2017, as well as in weldings on site.
Those steel pipes were designed and manufactured to be 100% guaranteed against any rupture or leaks under EDF “high quality” standards that go beyond regulatory requirements.
But EDF said those requirements had not been properly communicated to suppliers, raising questions about their quality.
EDF told French nuclear regulator ASN about the problem in early 2017 and sent it technical dossiers to prove the equipment was fit for service and in line with regulations.
ASN said in a statement today that “significant work” remains to be done by EDF and Framatome before fuel is loaded into the reactor to justify, on the one hand, the serviceability of the nuclear pressure equipment, on the other hand on the other hand, the performance of safety systems.
In October 2017 EDF said work on Flamanville-3 was on schedule with reactor startup scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2018 and total project costs confirmed at €10.5bn ($12.4bn). An estimate of the total cost in July 2011 was €8bn.
