At French nuclear power plants, 320 welds have to be checked after new corrosion problems have been identified. The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) announced today that these are pipelines that were already being repaired during the construction of the power plants.
The energy company EDF has announced that it will check over 90 percent of the welds this year. The unexpected fatigue failures at the power plants required further analysis, ASN explained. Cracks in pipelines were recently discovered in three power plants, but they had no impact on personnel or the environment.
In the past year, corrosion problems had caused a number of nuclear power plants in France, some of which were getting on in years, to come to a standstill and forced the country to import more electricity in the middle of the energy crisis. So far, it has not been assumed that the recent problems will significantly limit the operation of the nuclear power plants.
France intends to continue to rely heavily on nuclear power for its energy supply in the future. The construction of 14 new power plants is being examined by 2050. At the same time, however, renewable energies, especially wind farms at sea, are to be expanded.
