EDF delays startup of a new nuclear reactor

Bloomberg

Electricite de France SA delayed the startup of a new nuclear reactor in western France that was already a decade late, and raised its budget for the
project yet again.
Fuel will now be loaded into the Flamanville-3 reactor in second quarter of next year rather than at the end of 2022, EDF said on Wednesday, citing complications caused by the pandemic. It boosted the estimated cost at completion by 300 million euros to 12.7 billion euros.
While the delay isn’t long, it could put further pressure on French power supplies next winter as EDF grapples with reactor maintenance and France phases out the last of its coal-fired plants.
The country is already facing an energy squeeze, with its grid operator warning of a possible electricity shortfall this winter in the event of a severe cold snap.
EDF had previously flagged the potential for a later startup, citing the need to fix dozens of faulty welds. The cost of the plant has roughly quadrupled since construction began in 2007.
“The Covid crisis has obviously had an impact,” Xavier Ursat, head of EDF’s new nuclear projects, said on a conference call. Preparations have been slowed by “repairs to welds on the main secondary circuit.”