EDF announced on Tuesday the forthcoming shutdown of three additional nuclear reactors for some “controls” following the problems of corrosion on security systems encountered on other units. The Chinon 3, Cattenom 3 and Bugey 4 reactors will be shut down over the next few months, according to data published on the EDF website. “We are going to stop them to carry out checks”, explained a spokesperson. These checks follow a documentary review of the entire French nuclear fleet in search of corrosion problems already confirmed on at least four reactors, currently shut down.
Tension on France’s electricity supply
Three other reactors will also be checked, but during shutdowns that were already scheduled. The shutdown of Flamanville 2 will however be extended by five weeks. Finally, EDF extended by five months the shutdown of two reactors where corrosion problems had already been detected (Penly 1) or suspected (Chooz 1). The first will not work until October 31, 2022 and the second until December 31. Of the 56 reactors in the French nuclear fleet, several are therefore shut down because of corrosion problems identified or suspected on a safety circuit.
Although the vast majority of reactors in the French nuclear fleet are not, for the time being, affected by these corrosion problems identified or suspected on a safety circuit, EDF nevertheless had to lower its nuclear production forecast again on Monday evening in France for the year, bringing it down to 295-315 terawatt hours (TWh), against 300-330 TWh previously. This situation may increase the voltage on the electrical supply France this winter, already complicated by a heavy maintenance schedule disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Use of coal
“There is no risk of a blackout in France because we have put in place a number of mechanisms to avoid this”, assured Tuesday the Minister of Ecological Transition Barbara Pompili on franceinfo, justifying the decision of the government to temporarily relax the limits on the use of the last coal-fired power plants to ensure the power supply.
“We raised the coal quota a little bit, because we need room for maneuver because of nuclear reactors which are shut down when they should not have been (…) But we are on proportions which are very very small”insisted Barbara Pompili. “It’s 2 to 3% of our electricity production and it’s 0.2% of our greenhouse gas emissions in France.”
“Coal is enemy number one”she continued. “When we arrived in 2017, there were still around ten oil and coal-fired power stations in France. Of the four coal-fired power stations, two are closed, the third will close in the spring and the other once the Flamanville EPR will be in service.”