France new nuclear reactor begins operations
France’s newest nuclear reactor, the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) in Flamanville, Normandy, resumed operations on Saturday, September 7, 2024, after it had automatically shut down earlier in the week. This reactor, which faced massive delays and cost overruns, was completed 12 years late, with a final cost of €13.2 billion ($14.6 billion).
The state-owned energy company EDF stated that the Flamanville 3 reactor had started up earlier in the week but stopped automatically on Wednesday due to a “human error” during a complex startup process. Despite the shutdown, the reactor resumed divergence operations on Saturday, and it is expected to be connected to the grid by the end of autumn.
Once fully operational, Flamanville 3 is projected to be France’s most productive nuclear reactor, with a capacity of 1,600 megawatts—enough to power around three million homes. However, EDF cautioned that further automatic shutdowns could occur as part of the reactor’s lengthy startup process.
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Reactors of the same design have already been completed in China and Finland.
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