Corrosion has also occurred in a reactor at the Penley Nuclear Power Plant in Normandy. The faults are similar to those already detected in two reactors at Sivox and suspected in two by Chooz. All four are of the N4 type, with Penley being the successor type EPR and thus the first reactor of a different design to be affected by the problem.

In Block 1 of the Sivox Nuclear Power Plant, during the inspection, which takes place every ten years, “multiple defects” were found in the welded seams of the safety injection system. Unit 2 was then investigated and similar deficiencies were found, the EDF announced in mid-December 2021. Therefore, due to corrosion at welded seams of pipelines, Sivox remains closed longer than planned after routine inspections, the chunk was closed as a precaution, as these inspections are only possible when the reactor is turned off. have gone

edf keeps watching

The EDF has since announced that it has found the same problem at a reactor in Chuz. “We don’t know if there are problems elsewhere. EDF is in the process of checking all its data from previous controls,” said Karine Hervio of the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), according to AFP. News agency.

Unit 1 of Penli Nuclear Power Plant was shut down from mid-May to mid-October 2020 due to partial overhaul and fuel element replacement. Block 2 went offline from mid-April to early June 2021 due to maintenance and fuel changes. In France, 10 of the 56 nuclear reactors installed there are currently out of operation for various reasons. This is about 20 percent of France’s nuclear power capacity. In November 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the construction of new nuclear power plants.

(nw)