France’s long-delayed Flamanville 3 EPR reactor has begun delivering electricity to the grid, marking a historic moment for the nuclear sector. The 1630 MWe pressurised water reactor was connected to the grid at 11:48 on Saturday, with teams conducting a series of tests and inspections to increase power levels.
EDF’s Chairman and CEO, Luc Rémont, hailed the achievement as a major milestone, acknowledging the “greatest tenacity” and safety of the teams involved. The Flamanville EPR joins three other operational EPR reactors worldwide in China and Finland.
The reactor is currently at 25% capacity after achieving first criticality on September 3, 2024, followed by a series of tests to reach full power. Connection to the national grid was made possible after multiple phases of testing and inspections under ASN supervision until the reactor reaches 100% power.
Construction work began in 2007, with several delays affecting its start-up. The Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire authorised commissioning on May 7, followed by the loading of fuel assemblies on May 22. First nuclear reaction was achieved on September 2, paving the way for grid connection on December 21.
EDF plans to operate the unit at different capacity levels until summer 2025, concluding the testing phase. The reactor is expected to reach 100% capacity after a planned outage in 2026, with an estimated 14 TWh of electricity produced from its first grid connection.
Source: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/french-epr-starts-supplying-power