EDF will start shutting down as a precaution from Thursday the two reactors at the Chooz nuclear power plant in the Ardennes to check for possible faults on its emergency cooling circuit, after the detection of faults in another power station of the same model.
"
As a precautionary measure, EDF has taken the decision to shut down the two reactors at the Chooz power plant in order to carry out preventive
checks" on the safety injection circuit, a backup cooling circuit used in the event of accident, said a statement from the French public electrician Wednesday evening.
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This decision is accompanied by the extension of the shutdown of the two reactors at the Civaux (Vienne) power plant, decided upon after the detection of faults near welds in the pipes of the safety injection circuit in its two reactors.
The Chooz and Civaux reactors of the same generation
In Civaux, the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) was informed of the detection of faults.
The decision to check the emergency circuits of Chooz comes from the fact that the two reactors of this power station are of the same technology as those of Civaux, known as “
level N4
”, the last generation.
The two plants were commissioned between 1996 and 1999. Chooz reactor number 2 will be shut down on Thursday and reactor number 1 will be shut down on Saturday.
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In total, the closure of the four reactors will lead to a loss of electricity production of around 1 TWh by the end of 2021, specifies EDF.
By comparison, in 2019, French nuclear power plants produced 380 TWh.
Around 30% of French reactors were shut down at the end of November, for maintenance or otherwise.
The electrician also warns of a likely disruption of its profitability, with its estimated operating profit Ebitda now between 17.5 and 18 billion euros, while he had so far counted on a "
higher
Ebidta"
to 17.7 billion
”.
