In July 2021, the discovery of an anomaly on fuel rods led to the shutdown of one of the plant’s two reactors. It is the first EPR installation to be commissioned in the world, in 2018.
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A year after it was shut down for a sealing problem, a EPR reactor at the Taishan nuclear power plant in southern China is operational again, its operator, CGN, announced on Tuesday August 16. The plant, carried out in partnership with the French group EDF, is the first EPR installation to be commissioned in the world, in 2018.
In July 2021, one of the two Taishan reactors was shut down, after the discovery of a fuel rod sealing problem, then qualified as a “running” by the Chinese authorities who had ruled out any danger. After “inspection and maintenance”the reactor in question was reconnected earlier this week to the Chinese electricity grid.
No anomaly on the plant and its surroundings has been noted, specifies CGN which ensures that safety is a “priority”. EDF also confirmed on Wednesday the return to service of the EPR reactor. “After an in-depth investigation, the Chinese safety authority has given its approval for the restart of the Taishan EPR 1 reactor”a spokeswoman told AFP.
EPR technology is at the heart of many disappointments, in France, Finland and to a lesser extent in England, where reactors under construction have accumulated delays and budget overruns.