Construction stopped on French 'flagship' nuclear reactor

We've learned that the French nuclear safety agency has ordered a halt to the construction of the new EPR reactor in Flamanville, France. Only six months after work first began. The EPR is the same type of reactor that is proposed to be built in the UK.

The move by the agency, ASN, follows the discovery of chronic problems affecting the quality of construction work since building work commenced on Flamanville 3 in December 2007. Its decision follows a series of letters from the agency to Flamanville's construction manager. In the letters, ASN inspectors highlighted a range of problems including non-conformities in the pinning of the steel framework of the concrete base slab, incorrectly positioned reinforcements, and inadequacy of technical inspections by both the construction company Areva and Electricité de France (EdF). You can read translations of the ASN's letters to EdF and Areva here, here and here.

Inspectors also uncovered inconsistencies between the blueprint for reinforcement work and the plan for its practical implementation. The incorrect composition of concrete had been used, which could lead to cracks and rapid deterioration. Cracks have already been observed at part of the base slab beneath the reactor building. The supplier of the steel containment liner reportedly lacks the necessary qualifications. Fabrication of the liner was continuing despite quality failures demonstrating the lack of competence of the supplier. As a result, one-quarter of the welds of the steel liner of the reactor containment building were deficient.

It seems the construction has run into the same kinds of problems that have bedeviled the building of the world's only other EPR, at Olkiluoto in Finland. The Olkiluoto reactor has been under construction for three years but the schedule for completion has been put back by more than two years and costs have nearly doubled to over 5 billion euros.

The only two EPRs being built today are construction fiascos. This reactor design is fast becoming a by-word for incompetence, massive delays, spiralling costs and dodgy engineering.

We only have a limited time and budget to stave off the most catastrophic effects of climate change and we must stop pouring money down the nuclear black hole.

For more info read our factsheet (pdf) on the EPR reactor.