EPR, to the dregs for EDF and Areva?

[moinsdewatt]

EPR reactor in China: The Elysee announces a start in about six months

AFP 09 / 01 / 2018



The commissioning of the EPR nuclear reactors in Taishan, China, will begin in mid-2018, the Elysee said on Tuesday, ensuring that the loading of fuel on site was simply delayed "by a few days".

"For the Taishan reactors (EPR), fuel loading is delayed by a few days, and this will be the last step before a launch six months later," said the Elyos source.

This would be the first operational EPR in the world, even before those under construction in Flamanville (France) and Finland.

French President Emmanuel Macron, on a state visit to China since Tuesday, had already confirmed Monday in an interview with the Chinese state press, citing "an upcoming commissioning".

Two third generation reactors (EPR) are being built in Taishan, in the south of China, by a French-Chinese joint venture owned by 30% by the French EDF. His partner is the state group CGN, a giant of the Chinese civil atom.

Taishan 1 was due to start in the second half of 2017, but CGN unveiled a postponement at the end of December, announcing that it would finally be commissioned "in 2018", with the second reactor due to follow in 2019.

As no EPR has been put into service to date, the site has fallen behind schedule following "additional experimental verifications concerning the design and equipment", CGN argued at the time.

The commissioning of Taishan had already been delayed several times. The last delay was announced by CGN in February.

http://www.lepoint.fr/economie/reacteur ... 022_28.php

[Janic]

In general, the buyers of a product provide for late payment and non-functioning: who knows these amounts and how much will it finally cost to OUR wallet, this little joke?

[moinsdewatt]

"Hot" tests and start of the Flamanville EPR reactor in 2018

Once validated by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), these "cold" tests will be followed by "hot" tests that will begin in July 2018 and demonstrate the proper operation of the installation under conditions of temperature and pressure similar to the operating conditions.

In this context, the electrician will test "all the systems, all the operating and safety functionalities as if there was fuel in the tank", explained a few weeks ago on France info Laurent Thieffry, director the Flamanville 3 project.

The production tests, they are expected from the 25 May 2019, with full power scheduled for the November 16 2019. All of these operations will mobilize more than 1 000 engineers and experienced technicians from EDF and industrial partners.

If this roadmap is followed, the first fuel assemblies will be loaded in one year and will mark the start of the reactor in the fourth quarter 2018, while power generation will start in the spring 2019 with the connection of the reactor to the grid. The Flamanville shipyard will have lasted longer than expected but will offer, in return, significant improvements in environmental, economic and technical. "Flamanville 3 will be a showcase. She arrives a little late, there is no doubt. It costs more than expected. But it will be a technological showcase. Confesses Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO of EDF in Ouest France. "Flamanville will help us export our nuclear know-how, particularly in Asia where a large part of the projects for new nuclear power plants in the world are located. He continues.

Towards an optimization of economic and environmental performances

Concerning the protection of the environment firstly, the EPR will make it possible to produce a non-emitting energy of greenhouse gas by a more efficient use of the fuel (decrease of 17% of the fuel consumption compared to the reactors of 1 300 MW), a significant reduction of 30% of liquid and gaseous radioactive effluent discharges compared to the best production units of the French nuclear fleet and a production of radioactive waste reduced by 30%.

This progress will be accompanied by improved economic performance enabled by greater flexibility of use and lower operating costs. The EPR will indeed be the most powerful reactor in the world (1 650 MW, against 1 500 MW for the most recent ones), with an improved yield and a lifetime of 60 years, and should be able to reach an availability rate of 91%, in particular thanks to a reduction in the average duration of stopping periods for refueling fuel (at equivalent safety). This duration will be reduced to 16 days against 30 to 45 days today depending on the different types of plants. The annual electricity production will thus be increased by 36% compared to current reactors.

http://lenergeek.com/2018/01/10/epr-de- ... s-a-froid/

[moinsdewatt]

Start of nuclear fuel loading at Taishan EPR (China).


[i] / Fuel loading operations begin at Taishan 1 (Image: CGN) [i]

source: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Fu ... 04184.html

[Janic]

that way they will be the first to take full face if it's boom!
a significant reduction of 30% of the discharges of liquid and gaseous radioactive effluents So, do you think there would be effluent discharges?

[Christophe]

https://www.lemonde.fr/energies/article ... 53054.html

Nuclear: the first EPR on the planet started in China

The third generation reactor was launched Wednesday at the Taishan site in southern China. "Excellent news for the nuclear industry," says EDF.

(...)

It is also a victory for engineering and project management from China, which was the first to connect an EPR to the network when the Taishan shipyard started in 2009 - after those of the Finnish Olkiluoto reactor ( 2005) and the French Flamanville reactor (2007).

The Chinese have definitely exceeded us!

[izentrop]

They rely on the electric car and therefore nuclear is an imperative for them.
And then the antinucts, there must not be many there and they are tired of the pollution of coal.

[Janic]

They rely on the electric car and therefore nuclear is an imperative for them.

What naivety! China does not care about the electric car as its first diaper panties, although as for the French nuck it serves as proof "moral" and also a business of the future. They did not accept this EPR that if there was a transfer of technology and mastery of its constructionthat is to say, tomorrow they will be in control of all future EPR constructions or anything that will take place. Clearly, France, again, fired a shot in the foot and even both.
Moreover, the Chinese are not naive, them. EDF had to guarantee the good functionality of its product and therefore financially responsible for all that could happen as problems, disaster, inevitable, with this EPR. And there, it will cost us a lot, much more expensive than the few billion that will have brought us back.

And then the antinucts, there must not be many there and they are tired of the pollution of coal.

The Chinese have been directly concerned by Fukushima and know what hangs in their face with this type of technology too dependent on the anger of the earth. Moreover, they are the most ecologists reported to each individual and they are 1,390 billion inhabitants and we should take a model on them rather than play the scholarly monkeys in pseudo meetings on the real future of the earth.
http://www.sortirdunucleaire.org/La-Chi ... traiter-du
Beijing, which currently owns 13 nuclear reactors in operation, has given the green light to the realization of 34 others, of which 26 are already under construction, more than 40% of the plants under construction in the world. With this rise in nuclear power, the country's annual requirements would amount to 20 000 tons of uranium by 2020, far more than the current production of about 750 tons per year.

https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/n ... es.N635148
For Areva, it is not strictly speaking a technology transfer. But this type of contract is not a first. A Mox plant is still under construction in Savannah River, South Carolina, USA to reprocess US military nuclear waste. But the project, which began in 2005, has suffered delays and budget overruns and is still at a standstill, for lack of additional investments. Areva also helped Japan build a nuclear waste processing plant, forming teams for Mox production. But the Japanese operator stumbles on vitrification technology, not provided by Areva.

[izentrop]

They rely on the electric car and therefore nuclear is an imperative for them.

What naivety! China does not care about the electric car like its first diapers ...

Should you be aware of the news

In 2020, China wants 5 million electrified cars to be sold in the country. 24,7 million total vehicles were sold last year. The objective: to fight against pollution, but also to give a decisive advance to the country on a technology of the future that can be applied to many other areas than the car. And in this way, no longer be dependent on foreign oil (or at least, less dependent). https://bfmbusiness.bfmtv.com/entrepris ... 29367.html

The Chinese have been directly concerned by Fukushima and know what hangs in their face with this type of technology too dependent on the anger of the earth.

You are confusing your desires and the reality, which comes out even from the sources that you quote.

[sen-no-sen]

China has no other means to guarantee its growth than to diversify its sources of supply, it necessarily involves an energy mix, fossils, ENR, nuclear etc ...
It is very likely that the Chinese will sell 4 nuclear generation (liquid fission) to the rest of the world for lack of rapid development in Europe ...