Nuclear power in Europe

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.

28 October 2008 - Areva has been told to monitor its subcontractors more closely after it was discovered that one had supplied a pressure system part without properly following testing procedures.

World Nuclear News reported that the parts in question are to be used to form the pressurizer of the water-cooled reactor under construction at Flamanville. The pressurizer is a main component of the reactor's primary coolant loop and as such has important safety role in addition to its function in the operation of the reactor.

PARIS (Reuters) - Greenpeace France activists on Wednesday blocked for the second day the entrances of three of the four quarries used by EDF to build its new-generation nuclear reactor, the environmentalist group said.

But French power group EDF said the action was not preventing building of the 1,600-megawatts reactor.

France’s nuclear safety watchdog has ordered EDF to halt work temporarily at its flagship new generation nuclear power station after finding that the French electricity giant had failed to address deficiencies in quality controls.

The Nuclear Safety Authority, charged with inspecting France’s 59 reactors, said on Tuesday that it had detected anomalies in the reinforcement of concrete for the 1,600MW EPR reactor being built at Flamanville in northern France.