France on Saturday connected its most powerful nuclear power reactor to the national electricity grid in what leaders said was a landmark moment despite years of delays and technical problems.
The Flamanville 3 European Pressure Reactor in Normandy started supplying electricity to French homes at 11.48am (1048 GMT) on Saturday, EDF power company CEO Luc Remont said in a statement.
“A great moment for the country,” President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on X, calling it “one of the most powerful nuclear reactors in the world.”
“Recycling to produce low-carbon energy is French-style ecology,” he said.
The EPR, a new generation pressurized water reactor, is the fourth to be completed anywhere in the world.
Remont from EDF called the event “historic.”
“The last time a reactor started up in France was 25 years ago at Civaux 2,” he said, referring to the Civaux power plant in southwestern France.
The engagement was originally scheduled to take place on Friday.
It is the most powerful reactor in the country at 1,600 MW. Ultimately, it should supply electricity to up to two million homes.
The start comes 12 years late after a plethora of technical hurdles that saw the cost of the project rise to around 13.2 billion euros ($13.76 billion), four times the original estimate of 3.3 billion euros.
The launch started on September 3, but had to be stopped the next day due to “automatic shutdown”. It started again a few days later.
Generation was gradually increased to allow the reactor to be connected to the electricity network.
Nuclear power accounts for about three-fifths of France's energy output and the country has one of the largest nuclear power programs in the world.
That is in stark contrast to neighboring Germany, which phased out nuclear power last year by shutting down its last three reactors.
Macron has decided to increase nuclear power to strengthen France's energy stability by ordering six EPR2 reactors and setting options for eight more, which could cost tens of billions of euros.
co-as/tw
