new cracks identified in two power plants

The nuclear policeman announces having made a significant discovery on Friday, March 10. Two new deep cracks were detected on the emergency ducts of the Penly (Seine-Maritime) and Cattenom (Moselle) power stations. One more complication for EDF, while a first crack had already been discovered in another reactor at the Penly power plant, two days earlier. If corrosion was the cause for the first, the two new ones are due to a phenomenon of thermal fatigue when a part is subjected to excessive temperature variations.

No immediate danger

There is no immediate danger for the population, but this is bad news for the power stations. “The question arises of the presence of such deep cracks on other reactors, which would call as a precaution to stop them to carry out checks and repairs as soon as possible”, analyzes Yves Marignac, nuclear expert at the négaWatt Institute. What raise uncertainties about the production of electricity in 2023. The nuclear policeman ordered EDF to revise its maintenance strategy to solve the problem.