France's main nuclear reactor at Flamanville in Normandy will finally enter service on Friday after twelve years of delays, operator EDF said on Wednesday.
The energy operator said the connection to the network of the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor “is planned for December 20, 2024,” but added that operation “will be characterized by different power levels until the summer of 2025” in a months-long test phase . .
“After this test phase the reactor is expected to operate at 100 percent power until the first shutdown for maintenance and refueling, known as Complete Visit 1 (VC1), ” said EDF.
The start of the new generation plant comes 12 years late after a plethora of technical problems that saw the cost of the project rise to around 13.2 billion euros – four times the original estimate of 3.3 billion.
To mark what is to come EDF will hold a press conference on Friday at its headquarters in Paris.
It was started on September 3, but had to be stopped the next day due to “automatic shutdown” before resuming a few days later.
The first start-up marked the beginning of a gradual increase in power up to 25 percent of capacity level allowing the reactor to be connected to the electrical network.
The grid connection was expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
The EPR, a new generation pressurized water reactor, is the fourth of its kind anywhere in the world.
It is also the 57th reactor in the French nuclear fleet, and the most powerful in the country at 1,600 MW. Ultimately, it should supply electricity to more than two million homes.
French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to increase nuclear power to strengthen France's energy stability by ordering six EPR2 reactors as well as eight additional optional ones from EDF in a policy commitment worth tens of billions of euros .
The new nuclear policy has helped EDF to move on from a crisis with the need to inspect or repair multiple reactors due to pressure corrosion problems, which cause power production to drop.
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 EU powerhouse Germany, which phased out nuclear power last year by shutting down its last three reactors.
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