EDF has decided to introduce a new approach to organization at the Flamanville EPR in response to recent events that have slowed down progress on the work site. As a result, the first KWh produced by the EPR will be sold by EDF in 2016.
This delay is linked to both structural and economic reasons. Flamanville 3 is the first nuclear power plant to be built in France for 15 years. It is also the first EPR.
In terms of industrial management, EDF has had to review its assessment of the extent of the work to be done, particularly in terms of civil engineering (iron reinforcements and anchor plates, much higher than initial estimates, etc.).
While considerable progress has been made in recent months (80% of the civil engineering work has been completed, a start has been made on assembling the piping and electrical equipment), there have been two serious accidents, one of which has meant that civil engineering work had to be suspended for weeks, considerably slowing down progress for the first half of 2011.
As well as this, comprehensive analyses carried out as part of the post-Fukushima safety assessment audits will be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Authority in September.
Faced with these challenges, EDF has decided to introduce a new approach to organization with its partners, including:
- the definition of a new, more reliable industrial schedule incorporating all of these points.
- the launch of regular public "site" meetings to assess the progress of the project as well as the key advances made (positioning of the dome in 2012).
- the establishment of new practices in terms of management and supervision of the site.
- the coordination of teams and partners with, for example, the creation of the "F10 committee", bringing together the 9 main companies working on the site.
- the consolidation of requirements in terms of safety and preparation for intervention operations.
This updated project, worth now some 6 billion euros, will give EDF valuable feedback and a tried and tested approach to organization for future EPR reactors, particularly in the United Kingdom.
"We are faced with the demands of a major site, and we have had to put together an appropriate industrial framework for us to succeed with this ambitious project. That is what has led us to introduce a new approach to the organization of the site today" explained Hervé Machenaud, EDF's Group Senior Executive in charge of Production and Engineering, Philippe Bonnave, Deputy CEO of Bouygues Construction.
"The success of the Flamanville EPR is a major challenge for the industrial expertise of the nuclear industry. We will continue to work together on the feedback from the first EPR sites in order to learn from it for the benefit of future construction projects around the world" announced Hervé Machenaud EDF's Group Senior Executive in charge of Production and Engineering and Claude Jaouen, Director of the Reactors and Services Unit at Areva.