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Released July 07, 2020 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The oldest and most controversial nuclear power plant in France has shut down after 43 years of operation.
The last of two reactors has been taken offline at the Fessenheim plant, bringing the shutters down nine years after it was first supposed to shut down. The first reactor was shut down in February. The plant has been the focus of intense protesting ever since the serious accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011. Pressure increased in 2016 when Industrial Info reported that AREVA SA (EPA:AREVA) (Paris, France) had admitted that irregularities could have affected roughly 400 components used in the nation's nuclear power plants built since 1965. This led nuclear authority ASN to order investigations into 12 reactors, including Fessenheim, that may have been affected by a carbon concentration anomaly in the steam generator channel heads manufactured by Japan Casting and Forging Corporation (JCFC). For additional information, see May 10, 2016, article - AREVA Admits "Irregularities" with 400 Nuclear Power Plant Components.
Fessenheim began operations in 1977 and when fully commissioned had two reactors with a combined generating capacity of 1,800 megawatts (MW). They were the first of France's eventual fleet of 58 reactors, which supply around 75% of the country's power, and make France the world's largest user of nuclear power. The French government has promised to close another 12 reactors by 2035 as part of its plan to reduce reliance on nuclear power in its electricity mix to 50%.
Quoting an EDF spokesperson, the French Nuclear Energy Society stated: "An operation, similar to that which led to the shutdown of the first reactor on February 22, started this Monday around 5:30 p.m., with a gradual decrease in the power of the second reactor. When its nominal power reaches "8%", probably overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the plant will then be definitively disconnected from the electricity grid. Then comes the time to prepare for the dismantling, which will last five years and which will be ratified by a decree published in 2025. As EDF explains, four stages will punctuate the procedure: electromechanical dismantling, sanitation of structures, demolition buildings and, finally, the rehabilitation of the site. The end of the demolition is therefore planned for 2040."
The cost to fully decommission the reactor will between 250 and 500 million euros ($280-560 million).
Environmental campaigners have celebrated the closure of Fessenheim, but Valérie Faudon, managing director of the French Nuclear Energy Society, told Le Monde newspaper: "There is unease around the appropriateness of closing a low-carbon source of production amidst the climate emergency. This, in a Europe still very dependent on coal and gas-fired power plants. The decision, which will lead to an increase in CO2 emissions, appears to represent an ecology that is now resolutely out-dated. The Fessenheim power station emits 6g of CO2/KWh, while, on the other side of the Rhine, the German electricity system emits more than 400g of CO2/KWh. The output of the Fessenheim plant will not be replaced by renewable energy, which is already prioritised by the grid, but rather by the production of French or foreign gas-fired power plants. It's worth noting that, as Fessenheim closes, Germany is commissioning a new coal-fired power plant, in Datteln."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
The last of two reactors has been taken offline at the Fessenheim plant, bringing the shutters down nine years after it was first supposed to shut down. The first reactor was shut down in February. The plant has been the focus of intense protesting ever since the serious accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011. Pressure increased in 2016 when Industrial Info reported that AREVA SA (EPA:AREVA) (Paris, France) had admitted that irregularities could have affected roughly 400 components used in the nation's nuclear power plants built since 1965. This led nuclear authority ASN to order investigations into 12 reactors, including Fessenheim, that may have been affected by a carbon concentration anomaly in the steam generator channel heads manufactured by Japan Casting and Forging Corporation (JCFC). For additional information, see May 10, 2016, article - AREVA Admits "Irregularities" with 400 Nuclear Power Plant Components.
Fessenheim began operations in 1977 and when fully commissioned had two reactors with a combined generating capacity of 1,800 megawatts (MW). They were the first of France's eventual fleet of 58 reactors, which supply around 75% of the country's power, and make France the world's largest user of nuclear power. The French government has promised to close another 12 reactors by 2035 as part of its plan to reduce reliance on nuclear power in its electricity mix to 50%.
Quoting an EDF spokesperson, the French Nuclear Energy Society stated: "An operation, similar to that which led to the shutdown of the first reactor on February 22, started this Monday around 5:30 p.m., with a gradual decrease in the power of the second reactor. When its nominal power reaches "8%", probably overnight from Monday to Tuesday, the plant will then be definitively disconnected from the electricity grid. Then comes the time to prepare for the dismantling, which will last five years and which will be ratified by a decree published in 2025. As EDF explains, four stages will punctuate the procedure: electromechanical dismantling, sanitation of structures, demolition buildings and, finally, the rehabilitation of the site. The end of the demolition is therefore planned for 2040."
The cost to fully decommission the reactor will between 250 and 500 million euros ($280-560 million).
Environmental campaigners have celebrated the closure of Fessenheim, but Valérie Faudon, managing director of the French Nuclear Energy Society, told Le Monde newspaper: "There is unease around the appropriateness of closing a low-carbon source of production amidst the climate emergency. This, in a Europe still very dependent on coal and gas-fired power plants. The decision, which will lead to an increase in CO2 emissions, appears to represent an ecology that is now resolutely out-dated. The Fessenheim power station emits 6g of CO2/KWh, while, on the other side of the Rhine, the German electricity system emits more than 400g of CO2/KWh. The output of the Fessenheim plant will not be replaced by renewable energy, which is already prioritised by the grid, but rather by the production of French or foreign gas-fired power plants. It's worth noting that, as Fessenheim closes, Germany is commissioning a new coal-fired power plant, in Datteln."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
