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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Électricité de France SA (EPA:EDF) (Paris, France) has announced that cold functional tests have been carried out successfully at the much-delayed Flamanville 3 European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) nuclear project in Normandy, France.
The cold functional test phase, which started on December 18, 2017, and completed on January 6, saw the successful completion of the leak-performance test on the primary system at a pressure greater than 240 bar (higher than the pressure of this system in operation), EDF confirmed. More than 500 welds were inspected during the hydrostatic testing, supervised by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
"EDF is now preparing hot functional testing to be started in July 2018," the company stated. "The objective is to demonstrate the good working order of the plant by testing components with temperature and pressure levels similar to operating conditions. Altogether, more than 1,000 EDF and industry partner engineers and technicians have been mobilised to perform these system performance tests."
Fuel loading and commissioning of the reactor at the end of the last quarter of 2018 has been confirmed.
The troubled Flamanville 3 project was meant to showcase the new European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), developed by EDF and French engineering giant AREVA S.A. (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France). The start date has been pushed back repeatedly from its original date of 2012. Costs have also spiralled in that time from an original budget of 3.3 billion euro ($4 billion) to 10.5 billion ($12.9 billion).
The EPR reactor also is being used at the much delayed Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) project in Finland. The project was meant to be the first third-generation reactor to be deployed on a global scale, but the project has become infamous for running almost a decade past its original startup deadline and costing AREVA billions of euros in additional costs and penalties. Last summer, Industrial Info reported the start of cold functional tests at OL3. Functional hot tests started last month with the latest commissioning date now set at May 2019. For additional information, see June 21, 2017, article - First EPR Nuclear Project Starts Cold Functional Tests.
The first EPR project to be commissioned globally looks likely to be the Taishan 1 project in China later this year with a generating capacity of 1,750 MW. Owned by Guangdong Power Engineering Corporation (GPEC) (Guangzhou, Guangdong), a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) (Beijing), the project has already completed hot tests. The second Chinese EPR reactor, Taishan 2, will be commissioned in 2019.
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 cold functional test phase, which started on December 18, 2017, and completed on January 6, saw the successful completion of the leak-performance test on the primary system at a pressure greater than 240 bar (higher than the pressure of this system in operation), EDF confirmed. More than 500 welds were inspected during the hydrostatic testing, supervised by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
"EDF is now preparing hot functional testing to be started in July 2018," the company stated. "The objective is to demonstrate the good working order of the plant by testing components with temperature and pressure levels similar to operating conditions. Altogether, more than 1,000 EDF and industry partner engineers and technicians have been mobilised to perform these system performance tests."
Fuel loading and commissioning of the reactor at the end of the last quarter of 2018 has been confirmed.
The troubled Flamanville 3 project was meant to showcase the new European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), developed by EDF and French engineering giant AREVA S.A. (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France). The start date has been pushed back repeatedly from its original date of 2012. Costs have also spiralled in that time from an original budget of 3.3 billion euro ($4 billion) to 10.5 billion ($12.9 billion).
The EPR reactor also is being used at the much delayed Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) project in Finland. The project was meant to be the first third-generation reactor to be deployed on a global scale, but the project has become infamous for running almost a decade past its original startup deadline and costing AREVA billions of euros in additional costs and penalties. Last summer, Industrial Info reported the start of cold functional tests at OL3. Functional hot tests started last month with the latest commissioning date now set at May 2019. For additional information, see June 21, 2017, article - First EPR Nuclear Project Starts Cold Functional Tests.
The first EPR project to be commissioned globally looks likely to be the Taishan 1 project in China later this year with a generating capacity of 1,750 MW. Owned by Guangdong Power Engineering Corporation (GPEC) (Guangzhou, Guangdong), a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) (Beijing), the project has already completed hot tests. The second Chinese EPR reactor, Taishan 2, will be commissioned in 2019.
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.
