EDF Completes Maintenance Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Reactor

Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--French state-run power utility Electricite de France S A (EDF) (EPA: EDF) (Paris) has completed a 40-day maintenance shutdown at the first 900-megawatt (MW) reactor unit of its Gravelines Nuclear Power Station.

Located at Nord, near Dunkerque in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, the 5,400-megawatt (MW) power station is the largest nuclear power station in France. EDF has invested nearly €15 million in the six-week outage. The maintenance outage also includes refueling the reactor core by one third.

Gravelines Nuclear Power Station has six units of 900 MW each. It is equipped with Alstom (EPA: ALO) (Levallois-Perret, France) steam turbine generator sets. The first unit of the plant was commissioned in 1980, followed by the completion of the other five units through 1985. The plant runs on uranium dioxide (UO2) and mixed oxide fuel (MOX) both.

In order to sustain the long-term operational activities, the third unit of the Gravelines nuclear power plant was taken down for refurbishment in the third quarter of 2013. Currently, units 1, 2, 3 and 5 are operational and supplying power to the grid. EDF plans to refurbish Gravelines Unit 5 in the fourth quarter.

EDF plans to spend €4 billion for upcoming renovation and repairs at the Gravelines nuclear power station, which are scheduled during 2016-17. These turnarounds are mandatory for operational permits and increasing the lifespan of the nuclear reactor for 10 more years.

EDF is the leading producer and supplier of electricity in France. EDF's French nuclear fleet consists of 58 operating reactors, comprising 34 reactors of 900 MW, 20 reactors of 1,300 MW and four reactors of 1,450 MW. Nuclear energy contributes 75% of electricity production in the country with a capacity exceeding 60 terawatt-hours (TWh).

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