After 12 years of delay, the start-up of the Flamanville EPR is now only a matter of weeks

EDF teams are preparing for “divergence”, the first fission in this new generation reactor. Franceinfo was able to visit the site located in the English Channel.

A matter of days. France is preparing to start up its new nuclear reactor with a delay of almost twelve years. After the authorisation of commissioning and the loading of fuel into the EPR in Flamanville two months ago, the EDF teams are preparing for the “divergence”, that is to say the first fission in this new generation reactor.

For the moment, the Flamanville operators are practicing this first reaction on a simulator, “on four big screens”explains François Tronet, guide trainer for EDF. “Divergence is a complex operation, it involves long actions to initiate the chain reaction. Each ‘poc’ that we hear is 1000 neutrons that hit the detector.“, he specifies. So many neutrons that will break the uranium nuclei in the reactor.

“The divergence is when the heart of the EPR will really start beating.details Grégory Heinfling, director of the Flamanville EPR operating teams. LThe teams train once or twice a week. There is a lot of desire, most of our operators have been there since the beginning of the project and have been very involved.”

“Desire does not exceed concentration. And inevitably, on a first start, we have a running-in phase. We take the time to check everything according to a very precise procedure.”

Grégory Heinfling, director of the Flamanville EPR operating teams

to franceinfo

The reactor will still undergo hot tests, then the Nuclear Safety Authority will have to give the green light for the divergence.

An operation planned for the coming weeks, underlines the director of the Flamanville EPR project, Alain Morvan, who takes us into the machine room which is already quivering.

“The heart of the reactor is not yet beating, but the machine is already alive: a little bit of heat, a little bit of vibration… This is the installation starting up.he rejoices. We filled the water, we heated the water, and all the pumps are used to circulate this water in the installation. The next step is the divergence in the coming weeks. The moment that we are all looking forward to.”

After the divergence, the reactor will gradually ramp up. EDF plans to connect it to the grid in the summer of 2024. This is when the EPR will start producing electricity after a twelve-year delay.