EPR2 at Penly: All Preparatory Works Authorized to Begin

The decree approving the Convention for the Use of Public Maritime Domain (CUDPM) for the construction of EPR2 reactors at the Penly site was published in the Official Journal on July 6, 2024. This was the final authorization required for the commencement of preparatory works.

On Saturday, July 6, 2024, the Official Journal published the final approval needed to start the preparatory works for hosting two new EPR2 units at the Penly site in Seine-Maritime. “This marks the culmination of about 12 months of work by the project owner and the decentralized state services,” the DINN (Interministerial Delegation for New Nuclear) proudly announced on Linkedin.

With this final authorization, the preparatory works can now commence without delay. These works, however, pertain only to non-nuclear aspects such as earthworks, site preparation, and road construction. The construction of the reactor building will begin following the issuance of the DAC (Decree of Authorization for Creation), which is currently under review by the ASN (Nuclear Safety Authority).

Last month, the Penly site had already received the environmental authorization for the necessary preparatory works for the installation of a pair of EPR2 nuclear production units at the Penly site and the municipality of Petit-Caux. This had already allowed the initiation of preparatory works, “except, in the case of Penly, for certain areas located on the public maritime domain,” the DINN had specified. With this new decree, all areas are now approved.

The actual start of the construction is expected by 2027. The first unit is anticipated to come into service around 2035-2037.■