France Links First New Nuclear Reactor to Grid Since 1999

(Bloomberg) -- Electricite de France SA connected a new nuclear reactor to the French power grid for the first time in a quarter century on Saturday, adding low-carbon electricity supply at a time when a sputtering economy has made demand sluggish. 

The Flamanville-3 reactor — the first such addition since Civaux 2 was connected in 1999 — will join EDF’s fleet of 56 reactors in France, which generate more than two-thirds of the country’s electricity and are the backbone of western Europe’s power system.

When fully ramped up, the new unit will provide a stable source of supply, which can be particularly useful during peak hours in the winter. Increased nuclear output will also curb the use of gas-fired power stations.

“The link-up of Flamanville is an historic event for the entire nuclear sector,” EDF Chief Executive Officer Luc Rémont said.

France is set for record power exports in 2024 as local demand remains subdued and it keeps adding renewable capacity. Better generation from EDF’s nuclear fleet is also helping keep a lid on wholesale prices, partly reversing bill increases caused by Europe’s energy crisis. 

The Flamanville-3 reactor in the country’s northwest adds 1.6 gigawatts of output, raising France overall atomic capacity to about 63 gigawatts. The new facility will run at varying capacity through its testing phase, which is expected to end during the summer of 2025, according to a regulatory filing on Wednesday.

EDF will continue to test equipment and safety systems at various loads, including more than 10 halts and restarts, in the coming months, Regis Clement, EDF’s deputy head for nuclear production, said on Friday. After going through 18 months of effective power production, the unit will be halted for at least 250 days for a complete check as well as a planned change of the reactor vessel cap, he added.

The so-called European Pressurized Reactor, which is more powerful than the utility’s older units, is in play 12 years behind schedule after a series of missteps. Since construction started in 2007, its budget — excluding finance costs — has quadrupled to an estimated €13.2 billion ($13.9 billion). 

The yearslong saga has created lasting doubts about the French nuclear industry’s ability to build reactors on time and on schedule — a crucial issue as it prepares to build at least six large plants in the country.

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

“This morning marks the completion of a titanic effort that paid off in the end. A long path that was neither easy nor perfect,” outgoing energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on X. “We are learning all the lessons to succeed in relaunching nuclear power.”

(Adds confirmation of connection, comments from EDF CEO and energy minister from fourth paragraph)

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