The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) announced on Monday that it had authorized the arrival of fuel on the site of the EPR reactor under construction in Flamanville (Manche), a step prior to its commissioning.
Read also: Flamanville EPR: anatomy of an industrial failure
“
On October 8, 2020, ASN authorized the arrival of nuclear fuel on the Flamanville EPR reactor site.
This fuel will be stored in the swimming pool of the building provided for this purpose
”, indicates the nuclear gendarme in an information note.
“
This authorization is one of the steps prior to the commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor.
The commissioning of the installation, that is to say the loading of fuel into the reactor vessel, remains subject to ASN authorization.
It will also be the subject of a prior public consultation
, ”says ASN.
Loading of nuclear fuel into the reactor is currently scheduled for the end of 2022, after numerous delays and additional costs.
EDF, however, warned that the Covid-19 pandemic "
could cause additional delays and costs
".
ASN explains that it carried out an inspection on the site in August and concluded that the installation and preparation of EDF were "
satisfactory
".
ASN "
has also authorized the use of radioactive gases to perform efficiency tests on certain filtration devices
", she explains.
