Paris (AFP)

EDF estimates that it will not have to shut down a nuclear reactor despite the recent discovery of manufacturing problems on certain components, which concern six reactors in operation. But the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has yet to decide in a few weeks.

The electrician had announced last week that the planned procedures had not been respected by its subsidiary Framatome during operations carried out "on certain steam generator welds", large components of power plants, during their manufacture.

"The census work carried out since then by EDF and Framatome has made it possible to identify 16 steam generators installed on six reactors in operation: Blayais reactors n ° 3 and 4, Bugey reactor n ° 3, reactor n ° 2. Fessenheim, the reactor No. 4 Dampierre-en-Burly, and the reactor No. 2 Paluel ", detailed EDF Wednesday in a statement.

It is therefore approximately 8% of equipment of this type in operation that is concerned.

"At this stage of the technical instruction on these components, EDF believes that the differences noted do not question the ability to service equipment and do not require immediate treatment," however, the group.

"None of this equipment today presents a risk in terms of reactor integrity or safety," explained Régis Clément, deputy director of EDF's operating fleet. "We are not in a situation where there is any need for an immediate and conservative shutdown of one of these reactors," he insisted during a conference call.

On the Paris Stock Exchange, where EDF shares fell on Tuesday, September 10 when the problems were announced, for fear of the shutdown of some reactors, the title rose 3.38% Wednesday late morning. Barclays analysts welcomed "potentially less serious nuclear manufacturing problems than initially feared".

- The ASN must decide -

Concerning the equipment not yet in service, "are concerned the 4 steam generators and the pressurizer of the EPR reactor of Flamanville 3, as well as 3 new steam generators not yet installed intended for the realization of the sites of replacement of the steam generators of the reactors No. 5 and 6 of Gravelines ", indicates EDF.

The group will only decide in the coming weeks on its decision for equipment intended for the EPR Flamanville. But it has already resumed the activities of the replacement site of steam generators in Gravelines 5.

If EDF has escaped an immediate shutdown of some reactors, potentially catastrophic, especially in the run-up to autumn, the fact remains that the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has yet to decide after completing the investigation of the case.

"At this stage it is considered that there is no matter to stop the reactors concerned.Thus the subject must be investigated to the end and it is the work that will be done in the coming weeks", and told AFP Julien Collet, Deputy Director General of ASN.

"We continue today to receive elements of EDF, so we can decide when EDF and Framatome have gone around the subject and we ourselves will have been able to examine all of these elements," he said. for follow-up. "EDF considers that the ability to service is not questioned, it is obviously things that we will check as part of our instruction."

ASN was also conducting an inspection on Wednesday at the Framatome site in Saint-Marcel (Saône-et-Loire) where the components in question were manufactured. This both to understand the anomaly but also to examine the means used to identify the parts involved, "to ensure that there was no missing or forgotten" in their inventory.

© 2019 AFP