the public consultation on the commissioning of the plant opened for three weeks on the ASN website

The Nuclear Safety Authority plans to authorize the commissioning of the new French reactor, after a final public consultation.

The public consultation on the commissioning of the Flamanville EPR (Manche), announced on Tuesday by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), opened on Wednesday March 27, on the ASN website, noted franceinfo.

This public consultation will last three weeks, until April 17, specifies the ASN on its website. “ASN is consulting the public from March 27 to April 17, 2024 on its draft decision authorizing the commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor. This authorization is necessary to load the fuel into the reactor,” writes the authority.

The last step of the procedure

At the Flamanville power plant, everything is already ready. As early as January, the agents received the three large fuel rods, they prepared the assemblies. Now, they are only waiting for the green light from ASN, to insert them into the heart of the new French reactor. After loading, the EPR will start and gradually increase in power. EDF will carry out numerous tests in parallel, under the control of the Nuclear Safety Authority. The energy company still plans to connect the reactor to the Normandy electricity network this summer. This would be the culmination of this project, which was 12 years late, and cost at least 4 times more than expected, 13.2 billion euros, according to EDF, for an initial budget of 3.3 billion euros.

EDF also hoped to have authorization earlier, to be able to load the fuel this month, in March. He has to wait almost a month more. On this subject, the Minister of Industry Roland Lescure estimated Wednesday on franceinfo that we were not “not within two weeks.” “We’ve been waiting for twelve years. I was going to say, we’re not even two weeks away,” launched the minister.