France’s Nuclear Power Generation to Increase This Year

Backed by good industrial performance of France’s nuclear fleet, the country’s nuclear power generation is expected to increase this year, Electricite de France (EDF), a French multi-national electric utility company owned by the French government, said.

EDF initially estimated the nuclear power generation between 315TWh and 345 TWh, but revised the same between 340TWh and 360 TWh. France has 18 commercial nuclear power plants with a total of 56 operable reactors and all these power plants are operated by EDF.

This higher nuclear power generation estimate is based on improved performance of outages and industrial control of stress corrosion inspections and repair work, and the absence of major climatic event during summer, EDF said on Monday.

The Group has started implementing the START 2025 action plan aimed at improving the operational efficiency of outages since 2019.

It covers various areas such as industrialisation, capitalisation, and standardisation of outages preparation methods, a refined strategy for allocating resources and skills, including the setting up of pooled teams and more employee training in sensitive actions.

Since early 2024, eleven reactors have been reconnected to the grid before the scheduled date, EDF added.

Meanwhile, a report from Bloomberg said that the improvement comes after unplanned halts due to corrosions cracks at key pipes undermined the French utility’s output over the previous two years and rocked European electricity markets.

Better generation from EDF’s nuclear fleet — the backbone of Western Europe’s power system — is helping to keep a lid on wholesale prices, partly reversing bill increases during the region’s energy crisis, the report said.

France posted record first-half electricity exports as nuclear and renewable production ramped up and demand remained subdued. That’s in stark contrast with 2022, when the nation was a net importer of power for the first time since 1980 because of prolonged reactor outages.

Still, the first connection to the grid of a new reactor that’s being fired up in Flamanville region will only take place by the end of autumn rather than this summer, EDF said in a separate statement.

That will further boost production next year after the country’s nuclear safety authority on Monday gave the green light for igniting the first nuclear reaction of the Flamanville 3 plant in northwestern France.

“The 1.6 GW European Pressurized Reactor will join EDF’s 56-strong fleet, which accounted for about two-thirds of France’s power production last year.

Boost to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

The first reaction will take place in a few dozens of hours, Regis Clement, deputy head for nuclear production, said during a call with journalists Monday.

Following scores of fresh tests, the new unit should be connected to the grid toward the end of autumn when its output reaches 25% of its nameplate capacity. Tests will continue for several months, with a progressive ramp up to 100% of power, Clement said.

The generated power volume from the first grid connection until the next planned outage is estimated at 14 TWh. The first planned outage should mainly take place in 2026 and last several months.

“The commissioning of the Flamanville unit will come as a relief for EDF as it took 17 years to build. The new reactor, which is more powerful than the utility’s older units, has faced construction problems ranging from concrete weakness to faulty pipe welds. EDF will still have to replace the reactor-vessel cap during its first refueling outage,” Bloomberg report said.

EDF’s ongoing construction of two similar reactors in the UK also suffered repeated delays and cost overruns, complicating the British government’s effort to raise funds for the construction of another pair of EPRs.

Two similar units have been built in China by EDF and its local partner in the past decade with limited delays. A first-of-a-kind EPR started up in Finland last year, 14 years later than initially planned, Bloomberg report added.