China: reactor 1 of the Taishan power plant shut down again, according to the Canard enchaîné

The Taishan 1 reactor in China, the first EPR (European pressurized reactor) in the world to have entered into service, in 2018, had already remained shut down for a year, from July 2021 to August 2022. Le Canard enchaîné revealed, this Wednesday, June 28, that this reactor is again shut down, due to a problem of deterioration of equipment.

The nuclear reactor of the EPR plant located in Taishan in China had already been shut down in July 2021. AP

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This is a new rut on the way to the EPR (European pressurized reactor), the third-generation nuclear power plants of EDF and Framatome (ex-Areva).

Officially, the shutdown of the Taishan 1 reactor in the first quarter of this year was scheduled. To this recharging operation, the Chinese operator, in which EDF is a 30% shareholder, has added inspections. The goal announced by Taishan Nuclear three weeks ago is to "collect data for stable long-term operation" without giving more details.

But, according to the Canard enchaîné, this shutdown is linked to the discovery of "excessive oxidation" on reactor sheaths.

Designed by #EDF, the Chinese Taishan 1 EPR is out of order because of defects in the "made in France" sheaths that protect the nuclear fuel. The most beautiful effect, less than a year before the start of the EPR of Flamanville!

✏️ Diego Aranega / @diegorama
➡️ https://t.co/Tpwe6OBCXa pic.twitter.com/XZAJiWBXC9

— Le Canard enchaîné (@canardenchaine) June 28, 2023

« Understanding what's going on »

« 

A reactor, tubes are introduced into its vessel, a kind of uranium sheath surrounded by a metal called zirconium. It is these tubes that will release heat and heat the water from the primary circuit to produce electricity. There is a lot of energy and pressure. We realized that in use, there was a kind of friction that had appeared and that had damaged the fuel cladding a little bit. ", explains Ludovic Dupin, Director of Information of the French Society of Nuclear Energy.

But "no accident" at this stage, he believes, but the tests are still necessary. "We have to understand what is happening, why there is this erosion that we have already seen on other reactors in the world, this is not the first time we have seen it," continues Ludovic Dupin.

So, will this have an impact on the launch of the Flamanville EPR, in France, scheduled for 2024, after 12 years of delay? Will there be consequences for the French nuclear fleet and for Framatome, the French multinational founded in 1958, specialized in the nuclear sector?

To all these questions, EDF and Framatome have an answer: no comment.

LISTEN ALSO TODAY the economy – Why the incident on the Chinese EPR weakens French nuclear power

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