Nuclear power in Europe

No serious safety event occurred within Electricite de France’s, or EDF’s, reactor fleet in 2007, the Institute of Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, or IRSN, said in a report made public December 9.

The report analyzed the operation of EDF’s 58 PWRs last year and said there was “continuation of, if not an increase in, unanticipated events and operational difficulties caused essentially by human factor, organizational aspects and certain weakness in operating discipline.” (more…)

Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — The lush green hills overlooking the dairy farms of Le Chefresne in Normandy have become a battleground in France’s efforts to boost power production.

In a corner of France known for Camembert cheese and apples, state-controlled Electricite de France SA plans to build 200 foot-tall steel pylons with high-voltage cables to carry electricity from a nuclear plant. The proposal would add to the 400,000 volts that pylons already carry from two existing reactors. (more…)

EDF is hoping to secure a multi-billion euro windfall by extending the lifecycle of its nuclear power stations. This could prove crucial to maintaining its top grade credit rating as it invests billlions in acquisitions and plant renewal.

The energy group this week set out in detail the costs and expected gains from the planned investment in its 58 nuclear power stations that could enable it to run reactors for up to 60 years, against the current lifecycle of 40 years. (more…)

PARIS - (Dow Jones)- French nuclear utility Electricite de France SA Thursday announced higher costs for a reactor it’s building in France and said its ambition to lead a worldwide wave of building new nuclear plants means total capital expenditure of between EUR40 billion and EUR50 billion by 2020.

The net financing requirements for EDF over the same period should be between EUR12 billion and EUR20 billion, EDF said, given the involvement of partners in projects in France, China, the U.S. and possibly the U.K. (more…)

The European Commission’s plan to auction 100% of European Union Allowances (EUAs) from 2013 onwards came under fire Thursday from German utility RWE.

RWE’s CEO Jurgen Grossmann believes the main beneficiary of the EC’s climate change plans would be French utility EDF. (more…)

Barely a few days before the collapse of Lehman Brothers, EDF finally clinched its multi-billion pound acquisition of British Energy. At about the same time, the French state-controlled electricity group also tried – and failed – to counter veteran investor Warren Buffett’s bid for control of a US electricity utility, Constellation Energy. (more…)

THE owner of Torness Power Station has seen earnings plummet in the first half of the year as a result of lower electricity output.

British Energy said pre-tax earnings fell by 50 per cent to £257 million in the six months to September 28. (more…)

PARIS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - French energy strikers cut a total of 4,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity and 1,000 MW of thermal capacity since Monday night, an official at the CGT union told Reuters on Tuesday.

French strikers are holding a 24-hour strike to protest against salaries and pensions.

“The strike has cut a total of 5,000 MW, this is a very positive outcome for us,” the union official said, adding that strikers had been warned by EDF not to cut more capacity to avoid endangering the supply/demand balance. (more…)

PARIS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - French atomic energy firms may be over-confident when they say their plans to expand abroad will survive the credit crisis unscathed.

Some analysts say financing problems, if prolonged, are bound to delay schemes in a sector with such high capital costs.

France hopes to use its unrivalled atomic expertise to lead a global nuclear revival spurred by rising fossil fuel prices and concerns over climate change. Its firms may even benefit as a slowing economy lowers costs for current building in France. (more…)

PARIS, Nov 18 (Reuters) - EDF said on Tuesday it would comply within the next three months with the French nuclear safety authority’s order to improve the piping of explosive liquids at the southern nuclear plant of Cruas.

The nuclear safety authority ASN said in a note published on its website that it had detected rust on pipes transporting hydrogen, an explosive gas used to treat the water that cools the reactor, into premises housing key safety equipment. (more…)