12 years late, overbudget and delayed again: The Flamanville Fiasco
It was supposed to be the "flagship" new reactor design and a French nuclear feather in EDF's cap. Instead, the EPR -- absurdly dubbed the Evolutionary Power Reactor during its short aspirational tenure in the US -- has proven to be both a dinosaur and a loadstone around the neck of the French utility.
Now, the Flamanville-3 EPR, already "under construction" for 12 years on France's Normandy coast, and wildly over-budget, will have its startup date (if that ever arrives) delayed again due to faulty welds which EDF hoped to get away without repairing. Instead, the ASN -- the French nuclear safety authority -- has ordered EDF to repair 8 of the welds, which traverse the containment vessel and were a clear safey liability. Given the welds are reasonably inaccessible they will be both difficult and expensive to fix, resulting in more delays and further cost over-runs. The costs for the project have now topped $12.4 billion, almost four times the original estimate of $3.3 billion when it began.
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Update: The French finance and economy minister has ordered an independent audit of the EPR itself, given the many problems with and delays at EPR construction sites around the world. The audit will look into the stalled EPR project at Jaitapur, India as well as the fiascos at Flamanville and Olkiluoto. "Flamanville has become a national symbol of industrial shame and disaster for France." https://mediaindia.eu/…/french-epr-audit-raises-questions-…/