Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest nuclear operator, faces “uncertainty” about how long it can operate its French reactors, the country’s regulator said.
“We are a long way from making a decision,” on whether EDF will be able to operate its nuclear reactors beyond 40 years, Pierre-Franck Chevet, head of the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, said at a parliamentary hearing in Paris late yesterday. The life span of the plants is uncertain because “we are at the very beginning of a process.”
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EDF’s French reactors currently provide about three quarters of the country’s power output. The utility is building a new generator at Flamanville in Normandy.
The ASN yesterday published its annual report on safety at France’s nuclear reactors, waste and fuel-processing sites, and medical and industrial sites that use radioactive materials. The report examines technical safety as well as policy.
The French government is currently spearheading a debate on the country’s energy mix, the outcome of which may determine whether EDF has to close more reactors in the coming decade.
“Whatever the outcome, there will be nuclear in France for years to come,”Chevet said.
Read more at EDF Faces ‘Uncertainty’ on Nuclear Reactor Life Spans, ASN Says
