Flaws Reported in French Flamanville Reactor Vessel

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Troubled engineering giant, AREVA S.A. (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France), has hit another major setback with its Flamanville nuclear plant in northern France after flawed steel was discovered in the reactor vessel.

France's nuclear safety authority, ASN, said it has been informed by AREVA of an "anomaly in the composition of the steel" in certain zones of the reactor vessel head and reactor vessel bottom. The safety authority is now informing countries including Finland and China where AREVA's European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) is being used in nuclear projects. Four EPRs are also being planned for future U.K. nuclear projects.

It is unclear what kind of delay the discovery will have on the already troubled Flamanville project or what impact it will have on AREVA's current struggle to stay afloat after years of poor financial results and numerous costly project delays.

Flamanville, which was meant to be a showcase for AREVA's new reactor design has run into significant problems. In December, Industrial Info project owner, Electricite de France (EPA:EDF) (EDF) (Paris), announced that the start up date was being pushed back to 2017, five years later than originally planned. The company recently admitted that costs at the project have ballooned to €8 billion ($8.7 billion), up from the original price tag of €3.3 billion. For additional information, see December 1, 2014, article - No Start for Flamanville Nuclear Plant Until 2017.

"The vessel of a pressurised water reactor is an equipment that is particularly important for safety," the ASN stated. "It contains the fuel and takes part in the radioactivity second containment barrier. The reactor vessel head and reactor vessel bottom head of the Flamanville EPR are partially spherical forged steel parts." "AREVA carried out chemical and mechanical tests on a vessel head similar to that of the Flamanville EPR," it continued. "The results of these tests, in late 2014, revealed the presence of a zone in which there was a high carbon concentration, leading to lower than expected mechanical toughness values. Initial measurements confirmed the presence of this anomaly in the reactor vessel head and reactor vessel bottom head of the Flamanville EPR."

In a joint statement, EDF and AREVA, commented: "Following the initial tests, the results communicated to the ASN by AREVA showed that one of the criteria was not met in an area with greater than average carbon content. The EDF and AREVA teams are working to perform the additional tests as soon as possible, following approval by the ASN on the test conditions, and to provide the safety authority with all the necessary information to demonstrate the safety and quality of the corresponding equipment".

French energy minister, Segolene royal, announced that the results will be released in October.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.