Paris, Dec 22 (UNI) French energy company EDF has successfully connected its new nuclear reactor Flamanville 3 at the Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the north of France to the national power grid, EDF CEO Luc Remont said on Saturday.
“On December 21, 2024, at 11:48 a.m. [10:48 GMT] EDF teams connected Flamanville EPR [European Pressurized Reactor] to the national power grid. The reactor has started to generate first electrons,” Remont said on social media.
It has become a historic event for France’s nuclear industry, as a new reactor was last launched in France 25 years ago, namely the Civaux 2 reactor at the Civaux NPP, the CEO added.
Flamanville 3 has become the fourth reactor of this type, with three other operating in China and Finland. Overall, France will have 57 nuclear reactors and the capacity is expected to grow from 61.4 GW to 63 GW.
It will take several months to fully launch the reactor, as the French Nuclear Safety Authority will need to carry out test launches and connect the reactor to the power grid, until the reactor reaches 100% output, the statement read.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the launch of Flamanville 3, calling it “a great day for the country.”
Flamanville 3 was supposed to be launched 12 years ago; however, the launch was delayed due to technical difficulties. It was launched in September, but had to be halted due to breakdowns. An estimated cost of the project is 19 billion euros ($19.8 billion).
