the welds will cost 1.5 billion euros more

EDF plans to use robots to repair welds at the Flamanville (Manche) EPR nuclear reactor, an operation that will further increase the project's cost by 1.5 billion euros to 12.4 billion euros.

The electrician, who is now aiming for a late 2022 fuel loading, presented his preferred solution on Wednesday to carry out the complex repair work.

EDF worked on three scenarios to repair the new-generation reactor welds, which must be taken over at the request of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).

"The bushing recovery scenario favored by EDF is the use of teleoperated robots, designed to carry out high-precision operations inside the pipes concerned", explained the group, which also has a fallback solution.

The repairs are complex because they involve eight welds difficult to access, located in the crossing of the containment, the large concrete structure that must retain the radioactive elements in case of accident.

This preferred scenario results in "a date of fuel loading at the end of 2022" and leads "to re-estimate the cost of construction to 12.4 billion euros, an increase of 1.5 billion euros", said EDF.

The expected cost of the Flamanville EPR was indeed announced so far to 10.9 billion, already three times more than the initial estimate.

"Plan B" – if the robots solution was not validated by the ASN – is "based on extraction and upgrading in auxiliary backup buildings" for problematic welding.

In this case, it would "probably lead to an additional period of one year and an additional cost of around 400 million euros," said Xavier Ursat, director of engineering and projects " EDF's new nuclear project, during a conference call. But he found the "low" likelihood of resorting to this alternative solution.

– "difficult moments" –

"EDF consulted us upstream to choose their repair solution", for its part indicated the ASN, questioned by AFP.

"They will then have to send ASN a regulatory file, which will have to demonstrate the conformity of the repaired equipment, in particular to show that the chosen welding process achieves the required properties and quality level" we continued.

"Tests will be made to qualify the process," said the nuclear policeman.

The welding business is yet another disappointment for the electrician, who had planned in recent years to start the EPR Flamanville end 2019, for commercial commissioning in 2020, when the initial schedule in 2012. But EDF had already warned this summer that its start would not finally take place before the end of 2022.

EDF is also having difficulties on its English shipyard. He recently announced a new additional cost of up to € 3.3 billion for the two EPR reactors he built at Hinkley Point C in England.

The problems in Flamanville have led the government to order the former CEO of PSA Jean-Martin Folz an audit, which must be submitted on October 31.

The Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire has already promised that he would draw "all the consequences on all floors", including EDF.

In early October, EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy pledged "concrete decisions" on the nuclear industry to "collectively learn from this situation".

"We must not hide the face, the French nuclear industry is going through difficult times because industrial problems are accumulating in the construction sites, so the specifications and deadlines are not respected." he acknowledged.

The hypothesis of an outright abandonment of the Flamanville shipyard had been addressed by the board of directors a few months ago but never really considered by the state, which controls the capital of the company.

A new board meeting Tuesday "approved the continuation of the construction site of the EPR Flamanville", simply said EDF.