EPR Becomes Reality at Finland's Olkiluoto 3

Abstract

The EPR is a third-generation pressurized water reactor (PWR). Its development was started in 1992 by Framatome and Siemens within a Franco-German partnership. Since 2001 this work has been continued by Framatome ANP, which was formed when the two companies merged their nuclear businesses. The French company AREVA, world market leader in nuclear technology, holds a 66% share in Framatome ANP, with Siemens owning 34%. From the very start, development of the EPR was focused on improving plant safety and economics even further. The new reactor development was jointly financed together with the leading power utilities of both countries. The first steps towards realization of an EPR nuclear power plant were taken at Olkiluoto, Finland in 2004 [1][2], consisting of initial preparation of the construction site. By mid-February 2005 the local municipality – Eurajoki – had issued a construction permit, and the Finnish Government a construction license pursuant to the Finnish Nuclear Energy Act. This had been preceded by a preliminary safety assessment prepared by the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) for the Finnish Ministry of Trade and Industry in which STUK verified that it did not see any safety-related issues opposing issuance of the nuclear construction license. STUK emphasized that the evolutionary design of the EPR had been further improved by AREVA compared to the previous product lines. Concreting work began this spring and the unit will start commercial operation in 2009. Construction of an EPR has also been given the political go-ahead in France. According to the utility Electricité de France (EDF) the new reactor will be built as a forerunner of a later series at the site of Flamanville in Normandy. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2007. An EPR nuclear power plant has a rated electric capacity of around 1600 MW, depending on specific site conditions. Being the product of intense bilateral cooperation the EPR combines the technological accomplishments of the world's two leading PWR product lines – France's N4 and Germany's Konvoi. At the same time it incorporates a new class of safety: its highly advanced safety systems represent a further enhancement of the high safety level already provided by nuclear plants currently in operation in Germany and France. To attain the specified safety goals, measures have been taken to further reduce the probability of occurrence of core damage and to also ensure that all consequences of a (hypothetical) accident involving core melt remain restricted to the plant itself. The EPR has additionally made great progress in terms of low power generating costs, conservation of natural resources, and minimization of waste volumes. From the viewpoint of the European nuclear community, it therefore demonstrates nuclear energy's excellent prospects for the future as an economical option for carbondioxide-free base-load power generation in our liberalized power markets.