[Série EPR Flamanville] The transition to 25% power authorized by the ASNR
On January 31, 2025, the French Nuclear and Radiological Safety Authority (ASNR) granted EDF permission to increase the power of the Flamanville 3 EPR beyond 25% of its nominal capacity. Tests will continue on the reactor until the next meeting with the authority, which will address the transition beyond the 80% power threshold.
It’s official: following its connection to the grid on December 20, 2024, the French Nuclear and Radiological Safety Authority (ASNR) has just authorized, today, the power increase of Flamanville 3 EPR “to a level of power greater than 25% of its nominal capacity.” This means that EDF can now continue ramping up the reactor’s power as well as carrying out start-up tests. A further authorization from ASNR will be required in a few months for the 80% power threshold, before eventually proceeding to the final industrial commissioning at 100% power, scheduled for next summer.
Green Light from the ASNR
EDF had submitted all necessary documents for this authorization to the ASNR on January 21, ten days prior to the approval. These documents included the results of tests carried out from the initial reactor start-up up to the 25% power milestone. They confirmed, first, the readiness of the core monitoring and protection system for the next steps and, second, that the physical test results of the reactor core meet the expected standards.
Over the last few months, the ASNR conducted nearly 400 inspections on the EPR reactor. In addition, the authority also considered the significant events reported by EDF and the corrective actions implemented. Consequently, the ASNR declares it has “not identified any element that might call into question the continuation of the reactor’s power increase beyond 25%.”
[#EPR] 🇫🇷 Par décision du 31/01/2025, l’ASNR a donné son #accord à la poursuite des essais de #démarrage du réacteur EPR de #Flamanville à un niveau de puissance supérieur à 25 % de sa puissance nominale🚦 ➡️https://t.co/EoYd8NZjfL @EDFofficiel @EDFEPR pic.twitter.com/echqCzkvXx
— Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (@ASNR_FR) January 31, 2025
During this phase of power increase beyond 25%, several tests will be carried out to assess various reactor operating conditions. One of the objectives is to check its state and operation in the event of an incident. For example, “turbine trip tests” will be conducted to drop the plant from 60% to 0% load. ■
By François Terminet (Sfen)
Image: Sealing of the Flamanville 3 EPR vessel in October 2024, Source: EDF