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9/1/2008

Flamanville 3: the EPR™ worksite in full evolution

Infos

From May to September 2008, the construction of the EPR™ reactor in Flamanville 3 on behalf of EDF mobilizes 1,200 people. Work primarily entails the reactor building, whose reinforced concrete walls must ensure security. A look back on 5 months that changed the site’s physiognomy.

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Associated documents

  • Flamanville 3: the EPR™ worksite in full evolution

    From May to September 2008, the construction of the EPR™ reactor in Flamanville 3 on behalf of EDF mobilizes 1,200 people. Work primarily entails the reactor building, whose reinforced concrete walls must ensure security. A look back on 5 months that changed the site’s physiognomy.

  • 9/1/2008 - 08:41 min

France - Flamanville 3

Construction site of Flamanville 3

Flamanville 3 is the first Generation III+ plant in the new French reactor fleet and the 100th reactor order placed with AREVA worldwide.

French authorities and utilities launched their nuclear renaissance program keeping in mind 2020, when the country’s original fleet of nuclear power plants will start to enter the decommissioning phase.

  • The contract

    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 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 470.2 TWh in 2010 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.

  • Supply scope

    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)

  • Supply chain

    AREVA Supply chain

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    Flamanville 3 projects requires a globally qualified industrial supply chain and pool of subcontractors: around 100 suppliers will be working for AREVA on the project.

    Manufacturing responsibilities are as follows:

    MAIN EQUIPMENT PRIMARY CIRCUIT WORK

    • Steam generator and pressurizer: AREVA Châlon/Saint Marcel (France)
    • Reactor coolant lines: AREVA Creusot Forge (France) 
    • Reactor coolant pumps: AREVA Jeumont Solutions for Pumps and Mechanisms (JSPM), France 
    • Control rod drive mechanisms: AREVA JSPM, (France) 
    • Reactor pressure vessel: Forging at Japan Steel Works (JSW) in Muroran, Japan, and Manufacturing at AREVA Chalon Saint Marcel, France

    RESOURCES

    Project resources
    > At peak: about 540 AREVA engineers are working on the project

    Construction site staff
    > At peak: 2,500 employees, of which 400 AREVA employees and suppliers

  • Licensing

    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 Milestones

    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
    • 2010: delivery of several auxiliary equipments (tanks, pumps, valves) and I&C equipments, welding of the first supports
    • March 2011: delivery of the LHSI Heat Exchangers on site.
    • April 2011: introduction of SIS exchangers.
    • June 2011: Introduction of SIS accumulators.
    • August 2011: Hydrotests of the first steam

    Next steps

    • 2016 : Start of commercial operation

video

EPR™ Safety Robustness

The EPR™ technology offers the most advanced level of safety, able to face unlikely events such as what happened in Japan. This video demonstrates the robustness of the EPR™ design, using a combination of redundant, diverse and complementary safety systems.