NEWS |
round up
NEW BUILD THE OUTER DOME has been installed at unit 1 of China National Nuclear Corporation’s Zhangzhou NPP in Fujian province. The dome, measuring 55 metres in diameter, 13 metres in height and weighing about 420 tonnes, was lifted into place using a 3200-tonne crawler crane.
CZECH POWER COMPANY will bring forward negotiations with companies taking part in the tender for NPP. Clarification discussions will begin Westinghouse.
HEAD OF THE has said Iran is building a 2000 MWe NPP phase. Other phases will follow.
EDF SAYS THE construction cost of the The plant was scheduled to begin operation in June 2027, but an additional
INDIA’S UNION MINISTER announced that a nuclear plant will be first NPP in north India. Gorakhpur sited in Gorakhpur town in the Fatehabad district, about 150 km north of New Delhi.
US GEORGIA POWER during its corporate earnings report for 2022.
THE INNER DOME of the containment building has been installed at the unit 3 province. China National Nuclear Corporation said the steel dome with 23.4 metres and weighing 518 tonnes was installed using a 3200-tonne crawler crane.
“remobilise” nuclear France to
for the respect of our ambitions in terms of decarbonisation and competitiveness of the French economy.” Meanwhile, Électricité de France’s (EDF’s)
Above: Flamanville unit 3 is nearing completion Source: EDF
France’s Nuclear Policy Council (CPN - Conseil de Politique Nucléaire), headed by President Emmanuel Macron is making preparations to deal with winter 2023. At a recent meeting it decided to “take stock of the entire French nuclear dossier, both in the short and long- term”. The meeting took place a year after the Belfort speech in which Macron announced the revival of the French nuclear industry and the construction of six new EPR2-type reactors. The first is to be commissioned by 2035 at the latest. In order to ensure the security of French electricity supply, and after a historically low level of production of the nuclear fleet over the past two years, the CPN has launched the remobilisation of all players to prepare for winter 2023 “by anticipating at best scheduled reactor outages”. With a view to producing electricity over the long term, the CPN also “validated the launch of studies to prepare for the extension of the life of existing power plants to 60 years and beyond”. The Council reviewed the main subjects
relating to construction of the six new EPR2 reactors. Its conclusions will be incorporated into the future multi-annual energy programme, the Programmation Pluriannuelle de l’Energie (PPE). This is a roadmap for 2019-2023 and 2024-2028, setting out energy priorities. Once finalised, it will determine how many reactors should be shut down and how many new ones should be built. The new French nuclear programme also
involves the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) and innovative reactors, which CPN said is one of the challenges. “The revival of nuclear power also implies
the launch of an in-depth reflection on the issue of the fuel cycle so that France retains and strengthens its strategic autonomy in this area, which is essential for our energy sovereignty,” CPN noted. Several studies will be launched to be presented at a next CPN in 2023. CPN concluded: “The revival of nuclear power is a priority project for our country in the consolidation of its sovereignty and
8 | March 2023 |
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newly appointed CEO, Luc Remont, announced a record net loss of €17.9bn ($19bn) in 2022, but pledged to put the company back on track. EDF posted a loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) of €4.99bn, compared with positive Ebitda of €18bn in 2021. The company’s net financial debt increased 50% in 2022 to €64.5bn up from €43bn the previous year. “The 2022 results were significantly affected by the decline in our electricity output, and also by exceptional regulatory measures introduced in France in difficult market conditions,” Rémont said. Nuclear output fell to a 34-year low as
a result of plant closures due to corrosion problems identified in 2021 and strikes by workers demanding pay increases and protesting pension reform plans. Half of EDF’s 56 reactors were offline for maintenance in 2022 with repairs delayed due to the Covid pandemic. This cost EDF €29.1bn in repairs. Some 16 reactors were identified as most affected by stress corrosion issues (four N4-series 1450 MWe reactors and 12 P4-series 1300 MWe reactors). Corrosion problems have been, or are being, treated at 10 of these and pipes will be replaced at seven more by the end of 2023. The overall fall in output has forced EDF
to buy electricity on the market to supply its customers at a time when sanctions on Russian energy had pushed up prices. At the same time, government measures to fight inflation capped the increase in electricity bills for French households. Another major factor is EDF’s obligation
to sell a quarter of its production at a fixed price to its competitors. The system known as Arenh (Regulated Access to Historic Nuclear Electricity) was devised in 2010 at the behest of the EU. While this opened the French electricity market to competition, EDF says it forced the company into the absurd situation of subsidising its competitors. In January 2022 the government decided to increase the amount of electricity that had to be sold through the Arenh mechanism. As a result, in August, EDF launched a legal claim against the government for more than €8bn in lost earnings. Core earnings for this year are expected to
be “significantly higher” with targeted nuclear output in France of 300-330 TWh in 2023. However, EDF has to fund investments of €33bn on its existing reactors by 2028, while plans to build six new reactors by 2050 is expected to cost €52bn. In addition, the company expects a bill of several billion euros for Sizewell C. ■
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