REACTION
EDF announced Wednesday, through a report, that six nuclear reactors French fleet, in service, are affected by manufacturing defects. These are welds that were not made properly on one of the components of the reactor, manufactured by the subsidiary of EDF Framatome. This is not the first time that EDF faces this type of problem with a subcontractor. So is the French nuclear industry still sure?
In any case, it is an error that could have been avoided. Within EDF teams, the anger is palpable: "It was enough to follow the procedure," annoys an engineer ... against Framatome, the subsidiary of EDF at the origin of the defective parts. A defect that adds to a list already too long estimates the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
Years go by and workmanship accumulates
Julien Collet, Deputy Director General of the ASN is concerned about the loss of competence in the French nuclear industry: "This event illustrates once again the loss of skills and know-how that has affected the French nuclear industry in France. The nuclear safety authority asks the industry to pull itself together and we consider that there are important investments to be made, especially in terms of skills and training, in order to regain a level of quality ".
The loss of skills is due to the fact that France has not built a plant for years. Consequence: the years pass and the workmanship builds up. In 2015, the lid and the bottom of the tank of the EPR Flamanville, forged at the plant Aréva du Creusot, were pointed at. More recently: the reactor welds of this same EPR have been categorized as substandard.
These setbacks prompted the Minister of Economy Bruno Lemaire commissioned an audit on the EPR sector. The results should be returned in October.