The EPR nuclear reactor in Flamanville (Manche) shut down automatically on Monday September 16 while tests were underway nearly two weeks after its first start-up, we learned from EDF.
A first automatic shutdown of the reactor took place on September 4, the day after the start of the nuclear reaction process known as divergence, before restarting on September 7.
Monday’s shutdown occurred while the reactor “was at very low power” and “tests were underway on a group of control clusters to measure the doubling time of the chain reaction,” EDF said. The group added that start-up operations would resume after checks, once the causes of “this event with no impact on the safety of the reactor” were known. “Starting the EPR is a long and complex process, which puts equipment into service for the first time. The activation of other automatic shutdowns and the encounter of hazards remain probable until the reactor reaches full power,” EDF recalled.
Estimated at three billion euros when it was announced but weighed down by multiple delays and additional costs which have seen its cost more than quadruple to reach some 13 billion, the Flamanville EPR started up almost 12 years late. Its connection to the network is planned for the end of autumn.
With Reuters (Benjamin Mallet; edited by Augustin Turpin)
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
