Corrosion, a phenomenon which had immobilized part of the French nuclear fleet last winter, was detected on welds of reactor 4 of the Blayais nuclear power plant, in Gironde, EDF said on Thursday, confirming information from Le
Parisien
but stressing that this did not affect its nuclear production forecast for this year.
Since this 2022-2023 crisis,
“a program of
specific controls” is planned during reactor shutdowns for maintenance, declared an EDF spokesperson, and according to
“feedback, one shutdown in three is likely to last an average of 30 days"
due to this corrosion problem.
This probability was integrated into the national nuclear production forecasts for 2024, set at 315-345 terawatt hours (TWh), added the electrician.
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The affected portions will soon be replaced
At the Blayais power plant, corrosion was detected on two welds.
“We are replacing the portions concerned
,” it was clarified, noting that this type of
“replacement has become industrialized”
with this control program, planned until 2025, which
“is taking place as announced”
.
The corrosion crisis, affecting emergency water pipes intended for cooling power plants in the event of an incident, had by the end of 2021 shut down many of the 56 reactors in the French fleet.
A 15% increase in production in 2023
The 16 most recent and most powerful reactors (1300 and 1450 MW) were diagnosed as the most sensitive to the problem.
Fifteen of them have been repaired, and the 16th, Cattenom 4, is currently being checked during its ten-year inspection, according to EDF.
The others, 900 MW and older - of which Blayais is one - are considered less exposed to the problem, but not exempt, as the previous case of Chinon showed.
In 2022, EDF's nuclear production fell to 279 TWh, its lowest level in 30 years, which forced France to import electricity, a first in 42 years.
In 2023, production increased by 15% compared to that of 2022, climbing to 320.4 TWh, according to the public company.