France - Flamanville 3

The contract

Customer: Électricité de France (EDF)

Supplier: AREVA

Supply scope: 1 EPR™ unit Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS)

Net electric output: 1,630 MWe

Reactor thermal output: 4,300 MWth

Signature date: April 17, 2007

The customer

The EDF group is an integrated energy company operating in all branches of the industry: generation, transmission, distribution, and the trading and sale of energy. The Group is the largest electricity producer in Europe.
In France, it has predominantly nuclear and hydroelectric power plants supplying electricity that is 95% CO2-free. In total, EDF generated 483.9 TWh in 2008 in France.

Since the nineteen-seventies, EDF has designed, built and operated 58 pressurized water reactors (PWR) totaling 63.1 GW in installed capacity and spread across 19 sites throughout France (thirty-four 900 megawatt reactors; twenty 1,300 megawatt reactors; four 1,500-megawatt reactors) and accounting for more than 85% of the electricity generated by EDF.
All 58 reactors, built by AREVA, were commissioned over the period spanning 1977 to 1999.

Scope of Supply

AREVA

• Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS)
  > Design and procurement
  > Erection and commissioning
  > Digital control system:
     - Safety Instrumentation and Control (I&C) and electrical system, engineering, and manufacturing
     - NSSS Operational I&C engineering
     - Emulator for safety I&C and core control I&C system

EDF

• Overall project management
• the licensing process with the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN)

BOUYGUES

• Civil work

ALSTOM

• Turbine Island (TI)

Licensing process

Flamanvielle 3 is proceeding through a rigorous two-step French licensing process. This licensing process is being conducted in parallel with project execution under the client’s responsibility, interfacing with the French regulatory body ASN.

The French government granted the construction license for Flamanville 3 on April 11, 2007, on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the EPR™ design.
The Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR) was presented in 2004 and the final submittal is planed for October 2010.

A continuous production of project documents for surveillance and approval by safety authorities in the areas of design engineering, manufacturing, construction, commissioning is being conducted throughout the implementation of the project.
Provisional Final Safety Analysis Report will then be approved, which authorizes the fuel loading and further start-up activities.

Key data

History

• September 2005: Design contract for NSSS awarded to AREVA
• October 2005: Start of public debate
• February 2006: End of public debate
• May 2006: Anticipated procurement contract signed (mostly forgings)
• April 2007: Construction permit was granted by French authorities

All Primary equipment fabrication has been launched by AREVA (2010)

EDF Milestones

• December 2007: Start of construction, first concrete pouring by EDF
• May 2008: Start of liner preparation
• June 2008: Erection of first turbine hall support column 

Delivery of embedded auxiliary equipment in the civil works

• December 2007: Safety Injection System / Severe Accident Containment Spray System lines
• January 2008 : Primary anchors (1st batch)
• March 2008 : Embedded excore tubes
• October 2008 : Installation of safeguard system piping

Next steps

• 2012 : Start of commercial operation