EDF Raises its 2024 Electricity Production Forecast Thanks to Nuclear Performance

EDF has significantly revised its electricity production forecast upwards for 2024, citing industrial performance in addressing stress corrosion cracking and better management of reactor outages. The company now expects to supply between 340 and 360 TWh this year.

Several indicators are positive for EDF: the half-year results are encouraging, the Flamanville EPR has successfully started, the Sizewell C EPR project has received substantial funding from the UK government, and the company has just announced an increase in its production forecast for 2024. This is an important development as it signals improved performance of the nuclear fleet after several years marked by technical challenges. The group now targets between 340 and 360 TWh for the year, a significant increase from the initial estimate of between 315 and 345 TWh.

Effects of the Start 2025 Programme

In a LinkedIn post, Cédric Lewandowski, Director of Nuclear and Thermal Fleet at EDF, welcomed this positive trend: “Great progress in our nuclear production in 2024! The results are primarily due to the strong industrial performance of the nuclear fleet.” According to him, the nuclear fleet has overcome the challenges of stress corrosion cracking, an issue that had affected several reactors, significantly reducing availability. Control and repair activities are now better managed and more industrialized, thanks in particular to the effectiveness of the Start 2025 programme.

Etienne Dutheil, Director of Nuclear Production Division at EDF, also emphasized the regained robustness of the fleet: “The fleet is recovering from the impacts of stress corrosion cracking and is significantly improving its maintenance outage performance.” Since the beginning of the year, eleven reactors have been reconnected to the grid ahead of schedule, a situation he describes as unprecedented.

Long-Term Impact Thanks to the Grand Carénage Programme

Since 2019, EDF has also integrated the Grand Carénage programme, an ambitious project to modernize its installations. “The industrial programme for the nuclear fleet is now set for the long term, with at least 60 years of operation in view,” Lewandowski explains. He adds: “This summer, we launched the 22nd ten-year inspection of the 4th periodic review of our 900 MW reactors. These inspections involve five times more activity than the 3rd ten-year inspections. By the end of 2030, we still have 10 inspections to carry out on the 900 MW units, and we will begin those for the 1300 MW reactors in 2026.”

“I deeply believe in fieldwork and technical expertise. Our focus on these two fundamentals allows us today to achieve performance at the highest level of safety,” summarizes Étienne Dutheil.

For more information on industrial performance in managing stress corrosion, see the webinar organized by Sfen in April 2024 with EDF specialists Hubert Catalette, Nicolas Cayet, Matthieu Lambert, and Théophile Crozier from EDF – Support Division for Maintenance Operations (UTO). ■