Europe's Nuclear Industry Responds to COVID-19

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The COVID-19 pandemic is hampering construction of new nuclear plants and work at nuclear waste processing facilities in Europe as the industry takes steps to protect workers.

In the U.K., French power major EDF has reduced the workforce constructing the Hinkley Point nuclear station by 2,000--more than half--to prevent the spread of the virus. The Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset, southwest England, is the U.K.'s first new nuclear power project in more than quarter of a century. It will use two European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) with a generating capacity of 3,300 megawatts (MW), enough to meet 7% of the U.K.'s future electricity needs. The project was already facing numerous issues before the virus struck, including rising costs of £2.9 billion ($3.6 billion), taking the final bill to between £21.5 billion ($26.4 billion) and £22.5 billion ($27.7 billion). The original commissioning date of 2025 is also in doubt. Industrial Info is tracking almost 300 European nuclear projects covering new-build, unit additions, maintenance and closures worth $243 billion.

"The safety of workers and the community is the first priority at Hinkley Point C and a wide range of measures have already been put in place to protect workers and prevent the spread of infection," EDF stated recently. "Hinkley Point C is taking additional steps in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The project will preserve the UK's specialist nuclear supply chain and its skilled workers by focusing on critical work on nuclear parts of the project. Keeping this capability intact is essential for a project of critical national importance and an industry which plays a key role in helping the UK reach net zero."

World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising said: "Nuclear power has responded to the call to action in the public health crisis that each and every one of us is facing. The global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is prompting dramatic actions from governments, placing significant restrictions on people and on business in order to save potentially millions of lives. Nuclear energy supplies 10.5% of the world's electricity, and is part of the generation mix of more than 30 countries that are home to more than two-thirds of the global population. Companies have implemented business continuity plans and prepared for the impacts of the response to the virus. Plant operators are applying various measures to protect the health of their workers: enhanced hygiene procedures, staggered shifts and lunch breaks to enable social distancing are all being used to minimise the spread of the virus."

More than 1,000 of the 11,500 workers at the Sellafield reprocessing site in Cumbria in the U.K. were asked to self-isolate recently following the report of a worker infected with COVID-19. The firm, Sellafield Limited, said it was carrying out a controlled shutdown of the Magnox plant. "As a proactive measure, to retain the reprocessing stream in a sustainable state for the future, we are moving to a controlled shutdown of the Magnox reprocessing plant over the next few days. "This approach will enable the best opportunity for an effective restart when circumstances permit. With safety in mind, similar measures may be necessary elsewhere across the business."

In France, the reprocessing plant at La Hague in the northwest has suspended operations.

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.