![]() The ASN was not immediately available for comment, but Frederic Menage, head of nuclear safety at ASN’s technical arm IRSN, told Reuters the weldings problems affected mainly EDF reactors whose steam generators had been replaced since 2008, notably its older 900 megawatt reactors. STEAM GENERATORSįrance’s nuclear regulator ASN was informed about the problem on Monday and will rule on any possible closures, the EDF spokesman said. ![]() Nevertheless, EDF’s shares had plunged 8.4% by 1415 GMT, wiping nearly 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) off its market value, and European power prices surged as investors worried about potential reactor shutdowns.įrance has the world’s second-largest fleet of nuclear reactors behind the United States and has exported its technology to China, Finland, South Africa and South Korea with Britain also set to use it.Īnalysts said other countries were unlikely to be affected as they mostly operate different kinds of reactors or use different suppliers to replace their steam generators.ĮDF’s UK arm EDF Energy said it had no comment on whether there would be an impact on UK plants, but Areva did not build the 15 reactors that EDF owns and runs in Britain. He said not all of France’s 58 reactors were affected as EDF also had other suppliers including Westinghouse and MHI, and that Framatome had not always used the same welding procedure that led to the problems. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File PhotoĮDF said in a statement its reactor building unit Framatome - formerly called Areva - had informed it of “a deviation from technical standards” in manufacturing of certain components on reactors that are currently in operation, notably the weldings on some of the reactors’ steam generators.Īn EDF spokesman said it was too early to say whether the problems could lead to reactor closures, but added several EDF reactors were affected by welding anomalies and the firm would provide more detail on individual reactors in the coming days. ![]() FILE PHOTO: The logo of EDF (Electricite de France) is seen on the French state-controlled utility EDF's headquarters in Paris, France, February 15, 2019. ![]()
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