WNN reports that in June last year (2016), the French regulator (ASN) said it had identified 18 French nuclear power reactors operated by EDF, of both 900 MWe and 1,450 MWe capacity, whose steam generators could contain high carbon concentrations. Of these, 12 are equipped with channel heads manufactured by JCFC liable to contain a particularly high carbon concentration. A high-carbon content in steel can lead to mechanical properties lower than expected. The nine that can now be restarted are Bugey 4, Dampierre 3, Fessenheim 1, Gravelines 2 and 4, Saint-Laurent B1, and Tricastin 1, 3 and 4.
All of these are 900 MWe units. The regulator had ordered EDF in October to carry out additional inspections on the steam generator channel heads of certain reactors, within three months. On 11 January, the company asked that the inspection deadline for unit 2 of the Tricastin plant be postponed by two weeks. This request was explained by the risks posed to the electricity grid as a result of the wave of cold weather expected next week, ASN said, adding it considered this postponement to be acceptable from the safety viewpoint. It has set a new deadline of 3 February. EDF also asked that the inspection deadline set for Civaux 1 be postponed to the end of March. ASN said it is examining data provided by EDF for the 1,450 MWe Civaux units 1 and 2, with the assistance of the France Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety. On that basis, ASN will analyse the conditions for the restart of unit 2, on which inspections have been carried out, and will shortly issue a position statement on the request for postponement of these inspections on unit 1. ASN announced in April 2015 the discovery of an anomaly in the composition of the steel in certain zones of the vessel closure head and the vessel bottom head of the Flamanville EPR reactor. The detection of this anomaly led ASN to ask Areva NP and EDF to learn all possible lessons from this event.
Original working URL: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-EDF-gets-approval-to-restart-nine-units-16011702.html
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