Electricite de France SA has options to ensure its aging nuclear reactors can keep operating beyond 60 years, according to the head of France's nuclear safety authority. The comments open the door for the utility to extend operations into coming decades at plants that are central to the country's power supply and a major exporter of energy to neighboring countries.
"In the current state of knowledge, ASNR hasn't identified obstacles to the extension of reactor operations beyond 60 years for which EDF wouldn't have levers of action," ASNR President Pierre-Marie Abadie said at a parliamentary hearing in Paris on Thursday. These levers include deeper studies, changes in operating modes, or equipment adaptations. "EDF's proposals are acceptable at this stage," Abadie said.
However, several technical topics require significant work by the company to confirm that these levers are efficient enough to meet safety requirements in future lifetime-extension reviews, he said. The state-owned utility is spending billions of euros each year to prolong the lifetime of its nuclear fleet, which generates about two-thirds of the country's power. Most of France's 57 reactors were commissioned in the 1980s and 1990s, and the nuclear watchdog has warned in the past that some equipment, such as reactor vessels, is very hard or even impossible to replace.
EDF is also preparing to launch construction of at least six new units to replace older atomic plants and meet an expected rise in electricity demand. The country is trying to shift away from fossil fuels while also attracting power-hungry data centers.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing