EPR-1600 reactor and new nuclear power plants in France, Europe and China

Описание: French President Emmanuel Macron, re-elected for a second term, is a supporter of the development of nuclear energy, and France itself is a leader in the development of peaceful atom in Europe. However, the country's nuclear power plant fleet is becoming obsolete and needs a reboot. That is what Macron is trying to do.

Last autumn, he said that for the first time in a decade, France is going to resume the construction of nuclear power plants. And at the beginning of this year, he specified the task - France is going to build 14 new nuclear power units by the middle of the century.

According to him, this is an important stage on the way to France's energy independence, on the way to stabilize electricity prices and on the way to reduce emissions. Note that this was said even before the Russian war in Ukraine, which only strengthened Europe's intention to abandon Russian oil and gas, and incredibly exacerbated the issue of energy security.

The main new reactor for future nuclear power plants in France should be the EPR-1600 reactor, or its improved modification - EPR-2. EPR - stands for Europien Pressurized Reactor, that is, the European pressurized water reactor, although in the case of the export version, the first letter E stands for Evolution.

By type, this is a classic PWR, with an electric power of about 1650 megawatts. This is the most powerful nuclear power unit in the world. The closest of the operating power units have a capacity of about 1500 MW and these are just the descendants of the EPR, the European N4 reactors, on the basis of which it was designed.

This is the first European 3+ generation reactor. About the generation of reactors, it will probably be necessary to make a separate video. But let me explain that what is now being built is mainly reactors of the third generation, and even generation 3+, which have additional post-Fukushima safety requirements. In general, generation 3 differs from its predecessors in greater fuel efficiency, better economic performance in both construction and operation, and improved safety systems.

Specifically, if we talk about EPR, then it should use 17% less uranium, be able to operate on reprocessed uranium and on a full load of MOX fuel. In the meantime, in France, MOX fuel is loaded into some pressurized water reactors, but only partially, no more than one third of the entire core. EPR can also work effectively in maneuver mode - reducing its power depending on the load in a wide range, from 50% to 100% of power during the day.

EPR reactors now being built in France, Finland and the UK, and the first two such reactors have already been built in China.

The first EPR reactor began to be built in Finland in 2005 at Unit 3 of the Olkiluoto NPP. Fortunately, this spring it was finally launched. It became the first EPR built in Europe.

Two years after the Finnish one, in 2007, the construction of a unit with an EPR reactor began in France itself, this is the third unit of the Flamanville nuclear power plant. This unit has unfortunately not yet been completed, but it is expected to happen this or next year.

In 2018, construction began on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in the UK with two EPR-1600 reactors. This is the newest and largest construction of a nuclear power plant in Europe at the current time. Two power units of the station with a total capacity of more than 3 Gigawatts will provide about 7% of the UK's electricity. Hinckley Point C is planned to be handed over by 2026, unless, of course, there are delays.

The only EPR-1600s built so far are operating in China, these are two units at the Taishan nuclear power plant. They launched in 2018 and 2019. They were also built with a delay and an increase in the estimate by about 60%, but still in the end cheaper and faster than in Europe. Their cost is estimated at half that of European ones, about 6 billion euros per power unit, or about $4,000 per kilowatt of capacity.

By the way, in addition to the plans announced earlier by EDF for 6 new units in France in the near future and for 14 until the middle of the century, the French are discussing construction projects for up to 6 units in India, from 4 to 6 units in Poland and expect to participate in a tender for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Czech Republic. But again, plans are one thing, but we'll see how it comes out.

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Videos:
1. Euronews    • Новый старый президент: Эммануэль Макрон п...  
2. CGN Newmedia    • how the world’s first Gen-III European Pre...  
3. Le Parisien    • Nucléaire : «Nous allons relancer la créat...  
4. EDF    • Flamanville 1, 2, 3 - Des énergies humaine...  
5. NEImagazine    • AREVA EPR presentation, September 2012 (in...  
6. EDF 🇬🇧    • Latest footage shows the progress being ma...  
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Timecodes:
00:00 - Emmanuel Macron and new nuclear in France
03:30 - EPR-1600 reactor
06:52 - EPR-1600 in Europe and China
10:22 - EPR-2 and perspectives